beautiful you

What a difference a Smile makes!   So often we hear of how a simple smile “made” someone’s day.   Our smiles can reflect happiness in a moment, or true joy coming from within our hearts. The question here is not whether you have that perfect smile - rather - is your smile reflecting momentarily happiness or a heart full of joy?   So, what is the difference between Happiness and Joy?   Here are some really great verses about true joy:    [Psa 32:1-11 NLT] 1 A psalm of David. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt...

https://www.freepik.com/ What do People see when they see us? We present ourselves through actions and attitude, or our presentation can be merely through our looks.  How important is appearances?  Question:  Are people so distracted by how we look, that they miss who we are? What is “Outward appearance”? According to definition:  Appearance is the look or outward aspect of a person or thing, an outward show; pretense to maintain an outward show of being proper, prosperous, etc… [1Peter 3:3-4 NIV] 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. According to this verse we are to be known for what?  The Spirit within . There is nothing wrong with hairdos, nice jewelry, trendy clothing. But our sty...

Temples...   A temple is a house for a god, a place where the god dwelt and was worshiped. Often enormous and elaborate, excessively adorned. Breathtaking works of art, a dedication from man to their god Do you know that your body is a temple? The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians: (1Co 3:16-17 NIV) Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. You are a temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in you!  God values you so much that he will bring ruin on anyone who ruins this temple.  God’s temple is holy, and you – Christ follower - are His temple. Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (1Co 6:12-20 NIV) "I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but I will not be mastered by anything.  You say, "Food for th...

  Beauty and the Bubble Bath What is Beauty?  Where does it come from?  What makes a person beautiful?  Is it their appearance, their attitude, or both?  Think of someone that you think is truly beautiful.  What makes them beautiful?  Is it their hair, their skin, their perfect figure?  Or is it their heart, their caring and compassionate nature, their gentle and quiet spirit?  Man vs. God:   We are bombarded by voices everywhere, each one expressing an opinion about our worth or what we must do to be beautiful, to be accepted and to be loved.  (like the latest fashion magazines & beauty tends) Where else do some of these “voices” come from? How many of us are honest enough to say that we sometimes believe the lies that the voice of “man” tells us?  I know I have struggled with this! In Matthew 23:25 Jesus exchanged conversation with the Pharisees, the religious rulers of His time.  He accused them of shining the...

~by Lynne Rienstra (used with permission)   Imagine a girl, a precious member of the body of Christ.  She possesses a saving knowledge of Christ and His work for her and a growing dependence on the Holy Spirit.    Imagine that this girl is able to study the Bible for herself, and therefore has a deepening relationship with her heavenly Father (regardless of what kind of earthly parenting she is receiving). Constantly in God’s word, she is learning, memorizing, and applying the promises He has made to her.  Like footsteps, those promises guide her faith walk each day.    Imagine that as others struggle to answer the question, “Who am I?” this girl already knows the true question is “Whose am I?”    Imagine this girl is sure of her value as an image-bearer of God and recipient of His grace, she is shielded from the self-destructive behaviors of her peers.    Imagine her more and more able to hear God’s voice. She is less...

To be a truly beautiful person, we must care and maintain both spirit (the “who” we are) and body (the “what” we are). Throughout life we are bombarded by voices everywhere, each one telling us about our worth, or what we have to do to be beautiful, to be accepted and to be loved. This brings up the question--to whose voice should we listen? We can listen to the voice of our friends, Hollywood celebrities, and glamour magazines. These are the voices of man. The other option is to listen to God’s voice. We have a powerful choice; one that will greatly affect the person we are - and become. The best choice is to listen to God’s voice, because He is the Creator. Mankind is the masterpiece of God’s creation -- He sure was creative! Each person is unique and precious in His sight! We were made for worshipping our creator and enjoying a relationship with Christ. He, more than anyone or anything, desires a relationship with each one of us, and desires our individual life of worshi...

The Butterfly ~ begins as an egg, delicately placed on a leaf. The egg then turns into the caterpillar that eats that green leaf. The caterpillar moves on to find more green leaves. This chubby little caterpillar then gets weary and begins to curl up and build a cocoon. After taking a long rest, which must’ve been exhausting, because, it emerges as a seemingly totally different creature…a butterfly. As I ponder the wonder of the caterpillar/butterfly phenomena I am once again in awe of God and his dynamic creation. If we, mankind, are the masterpiece of His creation, and the butterfly is a simple part of creation, WOW – we are an amazing creation!!! The butterfly phenomena can also demonstrate the stages we go through in life. We start out life with one focus, to grow. But then life gets a bit challenging…we pause, ponder, research, explore, and realize there is more to life than eating “green leaves”. When we dig into the Bible, and accept the Holy Spirit into our lives, we become a ...