Refocusing Our Eyes on the Infinite Beauty of Our Lord

“Give to the Lord the glory due His name… worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” 1 Chronicles 16:29 (NKJV)

“If God is everything to us, why should we ever need anything else?!” Francis Chan

 

  • Good morning my friend! Today is a day to take an honest look at your heart and lay yourself before the feet of your merciful, loving Savior.
  • Read 1 John 2:15-17. Also read Psalm 51:1-12 and spend some time praying verse 10 to the Lord before you dig into today’s study.

Refocusing Our Eyes on the Infinite Beauty of Our Lord

Take a look around you. Do you see how we are living as a society today? We are so consumed with ourselves and our physical beauty. We’ve been described as living in the “selfie-era,” an age dipped in narcissism and coated with a perfectly curated, Instagram-ready finish. It’s a sign of the times, really. In 2 Timothy 3:2, Paul tells us that in the last days, people will become “lovers of themselves,” and here we are, so preoccupied with us. We worry unendingly about whether our nose is too big, our hair too frizzy, and if our pants make us look too chubby. I’m right there with you, my friend. It is so easy to allow thoughts of personal beauty to consume us. We have become lovers of self, not
lovers of God.

So, where do we go from here? We must make a change. We must shift our perspectives. Glance away from the mirror, my friend, and look to the beauty of God’s great, sacrificial love (1 Samuel 12:24). Those who follow Jesus will never need to know the ugliness of an eternity separated from Him. He saved us from hell, from death, and delivered us into a life of walking in communion with the One who is the most amazing, powerful, loving being to ever exist. It is pure beauty that we can even approach His throne (Hebrews 4:16) and that, because of Jesus, we get to come into the presence of the most Holy of Holies. And as if that wasn’t enough, He put His Spirit inside us to guide us, to be our worth and our identity (John 16:13). Now that is awesome beauty, a beauty which far overshadows the latest makeup tutorial and new clothing trend (1 Samuel 16:7).

If we understood the finiteness of our lives here on earth, if we knew what a vapor this all is, we wouldn’t worry so much about our physical appearances (James 4:14). Instead, we would be focused on the Lord and on sharing with others the beauty of a life lived in Him. We view self-esteem too highly, my friend. Our esteem is not in ourselves, but in Him. As believers, we have Him in us, and that is enough. This isn’t about accepting ourselves for who we are, nor is it about feeling empowered as women. This is about shifting our focus completely away from ourselves and wholly onto our Savior, the Majesty over all creation (Matthew 22:37-38).

Do you want to live solely to reflect the beauty of your Father (Psalm 27:4)? He wants you to shine for Him, to mirror Him. He wants any beauty in you to be the simple reflection of the image of Jesus. Lord change us; change me. Make me more like you. I don’t want to waste my life any longer, focused on things which matter nothing—things that will burn to ash in the end (1 Corinthians 3:9-15). Let our voices ring out in unison as women, “You are the beauty of our life, Lord. We want to live to glorify You alone.”

Although our flesh may be crying “make me thinner, make me better, make me pleasing to those around me,” when we submit to the Spirit of the living Christ in us, our soul sings “Holy, Holy, Holy. Give us purpose to magnify your beauty Lord. Less of me, more of You” (John 3:30). Don’t silence that Spirit-voice with the words of the world. Turn away from your flesh, turn your heart toward the loving beauty of your Father (Romans 12:1).

Seek the Lord first above yourself and pray for God to transform your desires to reflect his own. When you get distracted with yourself, train your eyes to refocus on Him. Dig deep into His Word, form a relationship with Him through prayer, and seek the Holy Spirit.

We have to jump off this vanity-train, sisters. We have only one life to live for Jesus. We must lay ourselves and our desires for affirmation, down at the foot of the cross. Matthew 16:24-26 (BSB) says, “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’” Deny yourself and your flesh. When we deny ourselves and get over ourselves, we will live in freedom, filled with joy and peace.

Pray that God will give you a desire for Him—a desire to seek Him above yourself. We read in Proverbs 31:30, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” This life and our physical bodies, are slowly passing away. Your beauty is sure to fade as well, but your relationship with the Lord is eternal, my friend. Invest your time, attention, and love wisely. To fall madly in love with your Savior is the greatest beauty you can ever seek.

Blessings and Love,

Tara D.

Questions to Ponder

  • Where do your affections lie? We can all grow closer to the Lord, desiring more of Him and less of us. Take a moment to be honest before the Lord today.

Faith-Filled Ideas

Make the time you spend caring for your body time spent caring for your spirit as well, refocusing your eyes on Jesus. Pray while you are getting ready in the morning or listen to an audio Bible app or a sermon while you are exercising or taking care of your home. Allow these daily necessities to be a time of growth in your relationship with the Lord! Use your life not to better yourself, but to glorify the Lord (John 17:4)!

Tara Davis
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