Let
not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair,
decoration of gold, wearing of find clothing, but let it be the
hidden person of the heart, with the jewel of a gentle and quiet
spirit ...
1 Peter
3:3
Idols
are things are things that you would rather play with or do than
study the Bible. They might be Legos or some toy. Some TV
programs and books make it so you do not want to study the
Bible. Money can become an idol, if that is all you think about.
God
asked Jacob to take his family to Bethel where he had seen the
angels on the ladder twenty years before. Jacob told his family
stories of the angels he had seen on the ladder. A soft look
came over the faces of each one in the family. When Jacob
requested that they bring their idols and jewelry to him, they
brought them. After the family had cleaned their clothes and
discarded their ornaments and idols, they had dedicated at
Bethel.
(Genesis
35: 1-4)
In
Exodus 33 the Bible tells us that when the people of God were
about to enter the promised land, they turned to idolatry and
worldly ways. They began to dress and adorn themselves in the
same way. God was upset with them. God asked them to take off
their ornaments. They took them off by Mt. Horeb. We are about
to enter the promised land. It won't be long until Jesus comes.
When
Honea's wife turned away she decked herself with earrings and
her jewels, and went after her lovers. She forgot about God.
(Hosea 2: 13) In Jeremiah 4: 30, God said that when His people
were spoiled, they would wear their ornaments and paint their
faces trying to make themselves beautiful.
We pay
thousands of dollars for a rock or a string of pearls. It
becomes a source of pride while it hangs on the outside. It is
designed to draw attention to self.
But real
beauty is not outward decorations of gold or pretty clothes or
painting of the face. The real beauty comes from the meek and
quiet spirit. It comes from the joy of knowing God. Real beauty
leads people to see Jesus in us, not the world. Such
ornamentation is priceless.
1 Peter
3: 3 and 1 Timothy 2: 9- 10
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