There is a point in our lives when we come up face to face with our enemy, whether subtle or openly, when we need the Word of God in our hearts to fight with conviction. Yesterday, I was reading through the blogs I follow and came upon an article a young woman wrote. The article cut me to my core and I felt that I should share it with all my friends and family. I know she directed the article to single women but I felt that it also can be convicting for single men and wives and husbands, etc... because at any given moment we can lose sight of the bigger picture and forget there is a daily war in our lives. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12
A Handsome Face
We Notice Beauty
Let’s get something straight—I’m not
blind. And most girls I’ve met are not either. So whether we’re watching a
movie or walking through an airport or looking through a dusty scrapbook from
1843, we’re pretty adept at noticing the handsome guys. We definitely know the
difference between an ugly face and a comely one! This discernment is by no
means a sin, either. Scripture makes many such observations, such as that David
was “ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking (see I Samuel 16:12),” and that
Moses “was exceeding fair (see Acts 7:20 KJV).”
When Beauty Becomes Our
Downfall
Innocent as it can be, however, our
uncanny ability to zero in on the countenances that are goodly to look at can
easily be our downfall. Lust starts with a look and a wrong heart (Matthew
5:28), and when Samuel wondered why God didn’t choose David’s older brothers,
God responded, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature,
because I have refused him. For the Lord
does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart (I
Samuel 16:7b).” Our Saviour Himself “has no form or comeliness; And when we see
Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him (Isaiah 53:2b).”
Be a Beautiful Soul; Look
for a Beautiful Soul
This earthly house I’m in—it’s not me. It’s
not eternal. It will be destroyed very soon. If my husband falls in love with
me because he likes the house, and knows nothing about the “building from God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (II Corinthians 5:1),” then
he has made a very poor choice. Likewise, if I give over my left ring-finger
real estate for a face, or write off a godly suitor because he’s not that great
to look at, then I am a very foolish girl indeed.
Walk By Faith
This is where we must walk by faith and
not by sight. In choosing a marriage partner, remember that “while we are at
home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by
sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body
and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present
or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] in the
body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (II Corinthians 5:6-10
).”
Notice the handsome
face—fine. But don’t ogle it. Don’t dwell on it. Don’t fall in love with it.
Don’t marry it for its sake alone. There is an eternal soul behind that face;
is it beautiful or ugly? Moreover, please don’t say “I do” to someone who’s
only enraptured with your pretty face. In this area, as in all areas of life,
be contrary to your natural inclination, and walk by faith, not by sight, for
one day we will all be accountable before Christ for our actions today.
.JPG)
