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A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
#3974 -
"The Setting Without the Stones"
I Peter 3:2
Listen with RealAudio!
http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/sounds/awwy/awwy3974.ram
My wife isn't really very big on jewelry. But she takes special
joy in pieces that are family heirlooms - like an engagement
ring that
originally belonged to my grandmother. Over the years, the
three small
diamonds that had been in that ring had been removed. So,
all that was
left was a gold band with three empty settings. Well,
Karen managed to get
a great deal on some stones she could have set in that ring.
Now, it
wasn't particularly beautiful before. It's really
beautiful now.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about
"The Setting Without the Stones."
The setting by itself wasn't really very attractive. But it was
those gems that made all the difference. In today's world
where a woman's
desire to be "beautiful" drives so much of the
marketing that is directed
to women, it is easy for a woman to believe some very big lies
about
herself. The models in the magazines, the stars on the
screen are supposed
to define beauty. They don't. At least not according
to the Creator. And
He should know. Much of what we think is beauty is really
a setting
without the stones.
God's idea of beautiful - therefore, the final word on the subject
- is part of our word for today from the Word of God. In I
Peter 3,
beginning in verse 2, God calls women to be known and noticed
for "the
purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not
come from
outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold
jewelry and
fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner
self, the unfading
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in
God's sight."
What God says is worth little is worth little. What God says is
worth a lot is worth a lot. And He's saying that the
outward stuff - face,
figure, clothes, makeup, hair - those are not what beauty is all
about - no
matter how many times our culture bombards you with the message
that it
is. Your outward appearance is, at best, the setting - but
it's not the
gems that make the setting come to life. Those are on the
inside.
God says the real jewels are things like being a woman who's pure
... who's gentle, making people feel special and safe ... who
conveys a
calm spirit, poised and peaceful under pressure. Those
things just never
wrinkle or fade. Many a woman who spends hours on how she
looks is missing
this inner glow that makes a woman radiant. Just think
about the women who
have made a difference in your own life, who have been beautiful
for
you. It probably had everything to do with what they were,
and almost
nothing to do with how they looked.
A woman finds her true worth when she meets Jesus Christ. When
all but one of Jesus' disciples had abandoned Him, do you know
who was at
His cross? The women whose lives had been changed by Him.
If you've never
been to that cross where Jesus died for every wrong thing you've
ever done,
I want to invite you to join the millions of women over the
centuries who
have found in Jesus Christ the love they have looked for their
whole life
... and the love that no one else has ever been able to give
them.
When you see Him there literally dying for you, you begin to
realize how much you matter to Him ... how very much Jesus loves
you. If
you've never given yourself to Him, if you've never experienced
the love of
Jesus for yourself, don't wait another day to leave your sins,
and your
hurts, and your needs at His feet. And I hope you'll let
me send you my
booklet, "Yours For Life" - it's all about beginning
this relationship with
Jesus. Just let me know that you want it.
When Christ comes into a woman's life, He transforms her from the
inside out, removing what's ugly, and releasing what's truly
beautiful. But He's a gentleman. He's waiting for
you to ask Him in.
If you're not sure you
belong to Jesus, and you would like to make sure
today, Ron would like to send to you a free copy of the booklet,
"Yours for
Life: How to Have Life's Most Important Relationship."
To read it online,
click here:
http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bounce?b=871
OR, to request your free
copy of "Yours for Life," click here:
http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bounce?b=872
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