Verse of the day: Exodus 26:1 “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them.”
Inside the Tabernacle we have a beautiful picture of who Christ is, and a wonderful picture of what is important to the LORD when it comes to what true beauty is. The curtains inside the Tabernacle were blue, purple, and red, interwoven with white, and an outer covering of goat hair. We see Christ’s heavenly righteousness, royalty, cleansing blood, and purity. God’s only begotten Son, our Heavenly King (Revelation 19:16), whose Blood cleanses our sins (1 John 1:7), and makes our scarlet sins as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). It is only because of Jesus Christ that we are justified, or declared “not guilty”, before our Heavenly Father (Romans 5:1). When we observe the description of the Tabernacle, the outside was not very attractive, but it had inner beauty. What a wonderful picture of what Christ wants to accomplish in each of us, as He works in conjunction with the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, or make us more like Himself. The change that He looks for is an internal change. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 tells us that we are new creatures in Christ, and we, as born again Christians, are no longer to view God or man through the eyes of the flesh, but through our new, spiritual eyes, so that we look upon God and one another through heavenly eyes. This means getting to know God for who He says He is. It also means seeing humanity for what it is, lost and dying, and in need of a Savior; thereby stirring within us hearts of compassion, and having a keen awareness of how important it is to bring the message of Christ to a dying world. We must also put aside our vanity and see the beauty that exists inside one another, rather than judge on outer appearance. This will not happen until we renew our thinking through the study and application of God’s Word (Romans 12:2). It means that we must do all we can to cooperate with the Lord in this process, so that what becomes most important is the change that takes place in each of us. When we view the Tabernacle, we see that inner beauty is more important to God than the superficial outer dressings we preoccupy ourselves with. Sadly, too many of God’s children have put far too much weight on what they display on the outside for the world to see, to the neglect of the heart and what is inside. However, sooner or later, what is inside will come out, and be displayed, by our words, actions, and deeds, which can only be hidden until God chooses to expose us to the world. We have allowed the world to dictate what beauty is. To the world, beauty is all about physical appearance, what clothes we wear, how young we look, how good looking we can make ourselves with make-up, surgery, and other superficial things. Outer beauty is short term and fades quickly. It can be taken in the blink of an eye via injury, accident or illness. This does not mean that we should neglect ourselves, but we must be careful not to put more importance on what is outside than what is inside. The one form of true beauty that cannot be affected by outer influences is the beauty that comes from being transformed by the cleansing Blood of Christ. The beauty that exists in Jesus is the beauty that God desires to see in us. While we waste our years trying to improve the outer facade, God looks at the heart, and what is inside. The Lord made it clear to the Prophet Samuel, when he was searching for a king, that while Samuel looked at the outer appearance of David’s brothers, God had already seen the heart of David, because God does not see as man sees (1 Samuel 16:7). Jeremiah 17:10 reminds us that God said, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” The Apostle Peter wrote the following, in respect to the importance of inner beauty, 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 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.” Each and every one of us was created by God, along with our talents, abilities, and physical attributes. We are all different, and we should not allow the world to define true beauty for us, based on their superficial measures. The psalmist put it best when he wrote in Psalm 139:13-15, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” Only Christ can beautify what God created so perfectly, but has been marred by sin. Let the beauty of Jesus be reflected in our words, actions, and deeds; a reflection of the work Jesus is doing in us.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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