A Woman's Beauty Regimen

Displaying a Gentle & Quiet Spirit
This message was given by Carolyn Mahaney and these are my notes...

Every woman has a daily beauty regimen that they follow. Holy Scripture prescribes a beauty regimen that we as women are to follow. It is guaranteed to make us beautiful. 1 Peter 3:3-4 God is not opposed to women making their selves beautiful. This is detailed instructions of how to make ourselves beautiful. God is not opposed to beauty; He delights in beauty. Look at the beauty He created all around us. 1. We see what God condemns 2. What God commands 3. And what God commends.

1. What God Condemns: God informs us what we shouldn’t do. Do not let your adorning be external. It is a straight forward command. What is God forbidding? Braiding of the hair, gold jewelry, and clothing. They’re not forbidden, but they should not be used in abuse. They shouldn’t be the main focus, dependency, etc. These things don’t make us truly beautiful. They’re not the source of genuine beauty. We need to be reminded of this often. It’s not sinful to wear stylish clothing, makeup and jewelry. It is wrong to place too much value on them.

2. What God Commands: We are to adorn the hidden person of the heart—habitually. This is where the main focus should be; on our regenerated heart. We must priority attention to what is on the inside. What is a gentle and quiet spirit? Notice how it is described: it’s an imperishable beauty. Webster’s describes imperishable as “not subject to decay, indestructible, enduring permanently”. A gentle & quiet spirit is not referring to a woman with a quiet personality. A gentle & quiet spirit is a inner disposition of humble contentment and quiet tranquility, rooted in an unwavering trust in God and His purpose. Gentle carries the idea of humility (not thinking of oneself as too important) and contentment. Quiet is the idea of calmly trusting in God and patiently accepting wrong from persecutors and unbelieving husbands. How are we to apply this when someone wrongly mistreats us and sins against us? A gentle & quiet spirit is a steadfast peace because of a steadfast trust in God. How do we react in these situations? Usually we respond with a complaining crusade, anger, pity party, a sinful funk, evil thoughts, lashing out on the person, bitterness, selfishness, etc. That is not the description of a gentle and quiet spirit. We should display a peace that cannot be shaken. How is that possible when we are being wrongly treated? 1 Peter 2:21-23 … Christ also suffered for you… He committed no sin… He continued entrusting himself to him you judges justly. That is how it’s possible; we must continue to entrust ourselves to God who judges justly! This is what drives a gentle and quiet spirit - a steadfast peace from a steadfast trust in God. There is no wrong committed against us where God is not sovereignly involved. God ordains these things to happen specifically to us for our good!! We need to repent and look to God. And when you do, God will restore peace to your soul. Isaiah 26:3 (use as my banner verse for my quest for a gentle and quiet spirit) you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. This is not a physical beauty, but a beauty that is outwardly evident. These women actually grow more attractive as the years go by.

3. What God Commends: A gentle and quiet spirit is very precious to God. No doubt it’s because God delights in being trusted. Hebrews 11:6 says when we trust God, we please Him. Trust calls attention to the One being trusted. We can acquire a steadfast trust, because we have a steadfast God; a God who is completely trustworthy. Our sins against a holy God (which is the most serious offense that has ever occurred) have been forgiven through the death of Jesus Christ. Now, if God is trustworthy to provide forgiveness for the most serious offences (our sins against Him), then surely He is trustworthy to provide all we need for any lesser offences against us. And He does provide. He directs any sin against us for our good and for His glory! He imparts His power and grace to us so that we do not have to sin in return. 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. This enables to adorn our hearts with a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in His sight. 1 Samuel 16:7 …the Lord looks at the heart.