MANIFESTATION OF INNER BEAUTY

Something happens when believers realize that their yearnings for what is beautiful are truly God-designed. Rather than con- tinue in denial about their yearning for beauty, they begin to look to God for the fulfillment of that yearning. In that moment, they become something more than they were the moment be- fore. It is as if a door swings open in their heart. They become aware of beauty in their own life that is a deposit for things to come. The inner beauty of God manifests itself in us in a num- ber of different ways. He changes our very countenance. Spiri- tual or inner beauty leaves tokens of physical beauty in this age by lighting up our countenance and changing our personality.

In contrast, many sicknesses are related to a fearful and angry disposition as well as the ugliness of bitterness and pride. These negative attitudes greatly affect our bodies, even to the point of changing our physical expression. Peter wrote of the inner beauty of God having a profound effect on how people present themselves to one another.

Do not let your adornment be merely out- ward…rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

God will make us physically beautiful in the age to come, but having a bright spirit affects us in this age as well. It is limit- ed but very real. When our spirit is beautified even our outward person is touched in the power of that beauty. A person who has a radiant spirit of righteousness has a different look about them. We’ve all had the experience of meeting someone who was physically beautiful but had a harsh or arrogant manner. It doesn’t take long before we don’t even consider that person attractive—their physical attributes fall by the wayside because they lack inner beauty. Scratch the surface of some physically beautiful people and you’ll find an unattractive core. Likewise, we often meet people who may not get a second look on the street, but because of their gentle spirit they become beautiful to us. They radiate beauty from within. This inner beauty is part of the bigger inheritance of God’s beauty we receive in part even now. Believers and nonbelievers alike are drawn like magnets to a gentle person who reflects the beauty of God. Moses prayed that the beauty of the Lord would be made apparent through His people. He wrote,

Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us… (Psalm 90:17)

Why does God do this? What motivation could a divine King possibly have to share His beauty with His subjects? The

answer is almost counterintuitive. The study of other world religions reveals that most represent their supposed deities as more interested in receiving alms from and controlling their fol- lowers than in actually benefiting them. One of the many things that makes the true God stand out so far above the false ones is His promise to make us beautiful with His own beauty. It is an expression of His affection and pleasure.

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)

God takes pleasure in you. Take a moment and personalize that sentence, then read it out loud. God takes pleasure in me. That’s a hard concept for many people: a God who takes pleasure in His people. Far from being stoic, His heart is warmed by the very people who come to Him for help. He takes great joy in beautifying them.

Feeling beautiful is not natural for most people. Even those who are attractive often claim and believe that no one thinks they are. Most fathers have had at least a few of those con- versations through the bathroom door… “Daddy, I can’t go to school today. I’m ugly!” While that child may be very attractive, at some level they feel their every flaw is magnified a hundred times. In the same way, most of us do not feel attractive when we stand before God. Wrong actions and attitudes run through our minds and all we see is the contrast between His holiness and our sin. So the idea of a beautiful God who makes us beauti- ful fundamentally changes how we interact with God and with other people. If He thinks we’re beautiful…well, then it doesn’t really matter if others agree or not! The King gazes upon us and likes what He sees!

The King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him. (Psalm 45:11)

I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me. (Song 7:10)

When, instead of feeling ugly and hypocritical, a man or women feels beautiful before God, something powerful is re- leased. They become free of their own self-imposed shackles. The things that bound them to guilt and despair begin to fall away. Once a slave of darkness, they become a Bride of the Holy One. Because He only surrounds Himself with beauty, being desired by God mandates that we are, in reality, truly beautiful.

His work in developing our beauty on this side of glory is astounding. It is nothing short of amazing to hear of His bring- ing beauty from the ashes of people’s lives. In almost every church you will find testimonies of restored marriages, prodigals coming home, and people with the ability to stand confidently before God because of what He has done in their lives. Though all these testimonies may be true, the good news is that they do not even begin to represent the fullness of the beauty of God. There are ramifications far beyond this earthly life. The beauty we grow into in this life has continuity and significant magni- fication in the age to come; it gets bigger and better, and it is directly related to our lives on Earth right now.

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