INNER BEAUTY HAS LASTING VALUE

 "A YOUNG MAN EQUATES BEAUTY WITH VIRTUE" OBSERVED A FAITHFUL ELDERLY CHRISTIAN.

Yes, man has long tended to place undue emphasis on external beauty, often leading to the misjudgment of inner values.   Our Creator, however, looks at what we are deep inside, regardless of our outward appearance. In this way he sets the finest example of mature judgment. According to the Bible, God himself said:  "Not the way man sees is the way God sees, because mere man sees what appears  to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he sees what the heart is." -1 Samuel 16:7. 

God is the Source of true human beauty, and his Word reveals that when assessing a person's genuine merit, spiritual qualities count the most.  The Bible states:  "Charm may be false, and prettiness may be vain; but the woman that fears Jehovah is the one that procures praise for herself."  (Proverbs 31:30)  Indeed, outer attractiveness may mask inner ugliness.  (Esther 1:10-12; Proverbs 11:22) Although physical beauty may fade with time, inner beauty-the qualities of the heart-can grow and last. 

How wise it is, therefore, to cultivate such qualities as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self-control! (Galatians 5:22, 23) We can thus acquire inner beauty, which truly has lasting value.  -1 Peter 3:3, 4. 

Next time: YOU CAN BE CLOSE TO GOD-Do You Feel Close to God?

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000