Fading Beauty

1 Peter. 3:3 (NLT).
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.   You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.


SACB 77
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All his wonderful passion and purity,
O thou Spirit divine,
All my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

During the last few weeks I have had 2 occasions where children have asked me if I was a Policeman.  There was a time I wanted to be one, but I think it's probably a little too late.

On both occasions the parents have said to the children - "No, he belongs to The Salvation Army, he helps people".

I suppose The Army is seen to be a helping hand to those in crisis, especially with the flooding and cyclone in the not so distant past.  So when you wear the uniform, you are automatically one of "those ones" who help people, whether you are on the "front line" or even in PR.

Does what we wear maketh the person?
Am I a "better" Christian because I wear The Salvation Army uniform?
Can the beauty of Jesus seen in me?
Does my outward appearance and actions mirror that of Christ?

What about when we don't wear our uniform?  Does the beauty of Jesus radiate through us ?  At work?  At the shops?  In the home?

It's not easy - I know.  Prior to my commencement with The Salvation Army, the workplace was not the easiest place to show Jesus in any way, shape or form, and even when I stood by my beleifs, it didn't seem to make much difference to anybody else.  People were just too interested in themselves.

Moving into another year and continuing on in this journey of life, my prayer for today is:

Come, beautiful Christ,
Radiate thy beauty in me.
'Tis thee I adore,
What can I ask more
Than to live for thee, beautiful Christ.
SACB 61


Footnote:  The above words were written specifically for women, but It was the first verse that appeared when I searched for the phrase "beauty of Jesus" - I thinks there's something in it for all of us, don't you?