True Beauty
In God’s infinite wisdom and creativity, He has crafted magnificent things: watercolor sunsets, awe-inspiring mountains, turquoise oceans, and beautiful people.
Proverbs 31 is a well-known chapter in the Bible about a God-fearing, hard-working, generosity-driven woman.
Interestingly, Proverbs 31 was written by a man—specifically, King Lemuel, although it’s technically advice from his mother that he shared when he was king.
Something that’s not obvious in non-Hebrew languages is that verses 10-31 actually make up an acrostic poem—each verse beginning with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, successively working their way from aleph to tau (from beginning to end).
Toward the climax of the poem, the author writes:
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” - Proverbs 31:30 NIV
Deep down we know this to be true, don’t we?
No matter how charming or beautiful a woman is, we know that beauty is fleeting. We know that charm will not last. We know that the aging process will eventually run its course.
But there’s barely any mention of this woman’s physical beauty, instead, the focus is on her character—on this woman who fears the Lord.
An earlier Proverb explains that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10)—the humble realization that anything good and wise and pure and true must have come from Him.
So if you know a woman like that—one who loves and respects God, one who honors and cares for people, one who invests wisely and lives purposefully—you might take a moment to thank God for her life. You might even consider how you can be more like her … as she aims to be more like Him.
Suffering Redeemed
Look around and you’ll quickly identify suffering, grief, and injustice. Maybe you’ve experienced injustice yourself. Maybe you’ve gone through difficult seasons. Or maybe you’ve experienced deep and profound grief due to loss.
Suffering rarely makes sense. We rarely have all of our questions answered within these sorts of seasons. And the hard truth is: most of our questions regarding suffering will go unanswered.
However, Romans 8:18 provides us with a perspective that can help us in seasons of suffering:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
In this verse, Paul, the author of Romans, points us to the future. All throughout Scripture, God has been working within His people to bring redemption and make things new.
We live in one reality, which includes suffering and grief. But one day, God will return and complete the work He has begun in Jesus. When God returns, Scripture says that all suffering ...