Inner Beauty
Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
The gifts the Psalmist describes come to us through faith. We experience our Father as our living God when we believe in His eternal power and strength, and love. The Psalmist says His dwelling place is lovely. If you know Jesus, you are His dwelling place, and His presence in you through faith transforms you into a person who is lovely as well. Once more, we turn to Paul to explain what happens when Jesus takes up residence in our hearts:
…that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).
The inner beauty God brings right into the center of our being with His presence flows from a growing, faith-filled understanding of the “breadth and length and height and depth” of His love, the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Let this sink in. Paul’s exclamation takes my breath away as I consider the possibilities of displaying the loveliness of the Lord living within me. Through the presence of Jesus, beauty grows.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Faith in the promises and character of God changes our response to daily tasks and transforms our relationships. People won’t have as hard of a time being around us when God is living in us, when we “feed” our faith with His Word, time with His family, and communication with Him through prayer.
When God lives in us, He not only satisfies us with His love, He also creates a hunger for more. The writer of Psalm 84 has experienced the deep intimacy of being in the presence of God in the Temple but it isn’t enough, and he wants more:
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord (Psalm 84:2).
Has this ever happened to you? You experience His presence through the truth of His Word, and you want more? How does God not only satisfy us but stir up the need for more of Him? Perhaps it is because He does indeed satisfy in such a supernatural way we know we will never get to the bottom of His beauty and love. Such satisfaction spills from our hearts and lips with joy:
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days (Psalm 90:12-14).
The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving to all he has made. The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bogged down. The eyes of all look to you and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:13b-16).
When you know Jesus as Savior, you can count on the promise of God that His Holy Spirit lives in you. Your body is His Temple. Take some time to read through Psalm 84 with this truth in mind. Ask the Lord to show you how to experience more of Him. Ask Him to not only satisfy all of your needs but to stir up a hunger for more of Him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Tuesday, 21 June 2022.
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