Inner beauty isn't easy. Just like marriage it takes work. Constant, every single day work. To keep our inner beauty beautiful to God and those around us, we need to be comparing it to God's desires for us daily. Darlene describes it this way - "It's a process of building virtue upon virtue that requires patience and discipline on our part."
Dictionary.com describes virtue as:
1.
moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.
2.
conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.
3.
a particular moral excellence.
4.
a good or admirable quality or property.
2 Peter 1:5-9 MSG
So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
In this passage Peter mentions seven virtues that we should be building upon in our lives:
- Good Character
- Spiritual Understanding
- Alert Discipline
- Passionate Patience
- Reverent Wonder
- Warm Friendliness
- Generous Love
Letting God work in our hearts to sharpen these virtues will enhance our inner beauty. During a recent conversation with my uncle, he talked about it being harder and harder to get a lost soul to really listen to the Gospel truth. People today are so wrapped up in things of this world. What he did notice is it is much easier to work within our own hearts so others will see Jesus through us. When we build virtue upon virtue, we begin to be a shining light, don't we? If we are truly allowing God to work in our hearts and use us for His glory, people can't help but notice that there is something different about us. They will want to know what makes us different. They start asking questions. And that my friends is a door opening for us and a chance to share Jesus with them.
Darlene goes into a little greater detail on these seven virtues. I encourage you to read over these if you haven't already. Or look back over them and refresh your mind.
Some of these virtues will come easier than others. Some of them may be one of your spiritual gifts. Share with us today what you feel your strengths are and which of these virtues is difficult for you. Then let's all agree to pray for one another today for God to work in our hearts to build us up in these virtues. For me, I feel warm friendliness is one of easiest. However, it can be a bit difficult for this shy girl with people I don't know very well. I have a lot of compassion and a heart for people, but can be a little shy in showing it to strangers sometimes. The hardest for me is passionate patience. Oh how I wish I was patient! It's something I've been working on - and it sure is something God has been working in my heart on for quite some time! Your turn!
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