JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q3. Cultivating Inner Beauty - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q3. (3:4-6) How does a person cultivate inner beauty? How does one gain character? Why is true character so important and precious to God? How can character help a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband?

By loving God with all her hear mind, soul & body she will automatically fall in line with everything else because she will display the fruits of the Spirit. Living like this, her light shines for all to see and this will not only pull her husband toward Christ but all those around her.

I think "kas" answered this very well. I would just add that our true character honors or dishonors God. We all have areas that need work so there is no room for smugness among Christians because they are saved. We need to work harder than others for God's sake. People judge Him by us. I have written in my Bible and I don't know who said it "Evil men are strict observers of the conduct of those who profess religion. A pure life is an excellent means to win them to the faith of the gospel". And may I add that even if they are not won there will be no excuse for them if they so dare anyway because of the example we set.

God Bless,
Jen

A great definition of character I have heard is: "That your real character is what you would do when no one is watching." God is love and what better character to have than a character that emulates our loving Father.

Q3. (3:4-6) How does a person cultivate inner beauty? How does one gain character? Why is true character so important and precious to God? How can character help a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband?

Yes, Kas did a good job on his answer. But, of course, we're supposed to add what thoughts come to us. So...
We cultivate this inner beauty by living close to our Lord, letting Him guide our actions and our thoughts. As we do, we become more like Him--in our character as well as inner "beauty." True character is the essence of our being, and since God loves what He intended us to be, when we come closer to that ideal character, He is pleased. How can a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband? I think the best way is to win him for Christ. Perhaps that is the meaning of the question, but it sounds like it means win him for herself and hang onto him. When we worked in Russia, our interpreter was, and is, a Christian--a fairly new Christian. A young Lieutenant in the Russian army wanted to date her, but he was not a Christian. She told him, "I cannot date you because you are not Christian!" He was intrigued, and started asking her why that mattered. As she told him all she knew, he wanted to know more. She brought him to us, and at that time, the leader of our Mission Society was staying with us while he visited the work being done there. I asked him to talk with Sasha, and he kindly did so for two hours! Lena later told us that Sasha was on cloud nine as they left, saying, "Now I know everything!" They have grown together in Christ and are now married. What an example to us longer-term Christians!

Inner beauty is going to come only by the healing power of the Holy Spirit who removes the hurts and fears we have and allows us to enjoy the life in Jesus. Character comes as we serve Jesus, dealing with all the hassles and frustrations involved in ministering to others and realizing that we give God the same grief others give us.

Being a male, I come at the "wife winning her husband" question from a different perspective. The true beauty my wife has is her inner beauty of love and commitment. She has changed physically in the last twenty years (as have I ), but we have grown closer together through the experiences we have shared. They cause us to grow, to learn and to love one another even more.

I believe a person’s inner beauty is cultivated by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in our daily lives. Trusting in God and having the patience to wait and listen for the answers. I believe that in setting a good example and living your life “right”, your husband will respect you for it and continue to value your relationship.

Pastor Ralph, on Mar 4 2004, 10:50 PM, said:

a)The Bible says that in the natural Jesus wasn't much to look at Isaiah 53:2 "... he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him." That, however does not stop the Bible from talking about His beauty Psalms 27:4 "... to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." or stop us singing countless songs about our beautiful Saviour. 1Jn 3:2, 2Cor 3:18, and others talks about us becoming more like the Lord as be behold Him and walk with Him, spending time in His Word and in prayer. Psalms 149:4 "For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation." The meek are of course the teachable ones.
b)One gains character through the fire as we walk in integrity with God. It is a walk of mortifying all that keeps us from a deeper walk with Him and allowing the Holy Spirit control in our lives. This quality does not come without a price. We learn obedience through the things we suffer and the Scripture is replete with allusions to trials, temptations and tests purifying, perfecting, making entire and content.
c)True character is so important and precious to God because it is something that has been gained through obedience. It is progress and growth. He is seeing Jesus in us the Son of His love and He is satisfied and pleased as we allow the transformation in our lives.
d)I'm not sure I understand the context of this question. If it refers to a believing woman winning her unsaved husband to Christ then he will see in her an beauty that will win his heart. God's beauty is universally beautiful to all His creation and delights the soul. If what is meant by "hang on to" her husband once won to Christ, will continue in the faith then it is because real character is a sign of spiritual maturity. It is a sign that this one knows God and is able to walk with Him in obedience providing good ground for the seed to grow in her husband.
If my wife is in such and insecure place that she has to win and hang on to me then there is something seriously wrong with me and I need to make some deep evaluations of my walk in God. Just as a man's heart safely trusts in the righteous woman, so a woman who has a righteous husband will be at peace and contented. The husband will provide leadership, protection, love and security for his wife and family. She will complete him and love him providing nurture and substance to her house and family. She will be a well of wisdom and joy to her husband who in turn will be captivated by her and he will praise her in the gate. How marvellous God put us together. If the man will follow God and be faithful in his responsibility as a husband, the woman will come in line to fulfill her place as a wife.

To cultivate inner beauty is to be sold out totally to the Lord, this creates a peace that can pass all understanding. When we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit that inner peace shows to others that we have and inner beauty. Some people are very average in outer looks, but that inner beauty causes one to look deep into the soul of that person. Love usually abounds in and around those that follow the Lord and trust in him only. Character comes by following the directions of the Bible in leading a godly life even when trials come. When we go through trials and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit we build character. If you don't go through any valleys how will you know you have made it out. If you know no sorrow or pain how will you know when to rejoice. Our character is always being refinned, because we are not prefected no matter how long we have been a Chrisitan. Character is important and precious to God showing we are willing vessels to learn, do and obey his word. Does this mean we will be perfect? No! We are to work at attaining the prize at the end of the race. Christian women with godly character can win and hang on to her husband if she makes him feel important enough to put him before herself. If he is not a Christian, then he will need to see the word of the Lord in her actions and not her nagging. Let the light of the Lord Jesus shine and you can light up a large area, but this must be done in a humble way. A Godly woman is one to look up to and treasure. This I hope is what people see in me as I journey through this land singing as I go.

I think "cultivate" is the perfect word - like growing a garden. The inner life must be tended, watered, fed, weeded. You can't ignore your inner life and then expect fruit - more than likely you'll just get a bunch of weeds! Bible study, prayer, meditating on God's Word, worship, and averting your eyes, ears, and thoughts from temptation all help to grow this inner garden of character. Then, this inner life must be put into practice in the outer life, our interactions with people around us.

True character does not fade or pass away. By cultivating this character in our hearts, we are presenting them as precious offerings to the Lord. In a sense we are saying, "Thank you, God for giving my life to me and for redeeming my life from death. Now I give it back to you like a golden crown, covered with jewels." (Remember the parable of the talents?) This same overflow from the heart will be evident to those around us - friends, family, spouses - and helps to shine the light of God into their hearts as well.

1. By showing respect, by being faithful to your vows, by being humble, considerate, and knowing who you are as a person; knowing when to keep silent and when to speak.

2. By letting the Holy Spirit guide you in everyday decisions. By being "at home" with His presence.

3. Because a life that is dedicated to doing right things is pleasing to God.

4. Living the way God wants us to live, is a shining example for a husband to see and experience. When the husband sees his wife's good works and righteous living, he can't help but want to do the same.

How does a person cultivate inner beauty?

By opening our hearts and minds to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, exhibiting a sense of peace, love, joy, patience, self-control, emulating Christ as we simply show our love for Him and for others. We cannot cultivate inner beauty unless we know and love God, because God is love; and as we grow in His love, we will begin to develop character traits such as Christ had when He walked on earth.

How does one gain character? Why is true character so important and precious to God?

You gain character by being sincere, honest, and forthright with those around you, dealing with everyone in a Christ-like manner. We must be the same tomorrow as we are today and not show partiality to anyone.

I think true character is so important and precious to God because we represent Jesus Christ to other people, and what they see in us may impress on them to either become a Christian or not to become one, depending on our behaviour.

How can character help a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband?

Character can help a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband when she lets him know how important God is in her life; and she shares with him how blessed she is to have a husband who can appreciate her position. She should make him feel very special, making him aware of her love for him in the good times and bad.

A person cultivates inner beauty by being obedient to the Spirit of God. The Spirit will lead and guide in us in all truth. When we yield to the spirit of God others will see the fruits of the spirit. This type of character is pleasing to God because it is from the heart. If a husband sees this in his wife it will draw him and hopefully win him over. WE can lift up the name of Jesus in our character. He said, "If I be lifted up I will draw ALL men unto me." So wives exhibit the character that is pleasing to God and the rest will fall in place.

Q3. (3:4-6) How does a person cultivate inner beauty?
You cultivate inner beauty by following the teachings of Jesus; by obeying God, and living your life through Him. By letting your light shine so others will come to know Jesus and His Love, and know the sacrifice he made for us.

How does one gain character?
By inviting the Holy Spirit to reside within you. With the Holy Spirit residing within you, you will be more tolerant and caring to others.

Why is true character so important and precious to God?
Because God is not interested in how you “look” on the outside; His only interest is your inner self. If you live your life in a way that pleases God, He will bless you a hundred times over.

How can character help a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband?
If you live your life through God, you will be a living witness to your husband. He will see God’s love and goodness shining through you. If the Holy Spirit is living in you, he will see only goodness and love shining through.

How does a person cultivate inner beauty? How does one gain character? Why is true character so important and precious to God? How can character help a Christian woman win and hang onto her husband?

A person cultivates inner beauty by learning the principles of the Word and striving to live by those principles. Also by walking close to God through prayer and worship. One gains character when we become consistent in our walk with the Lord. If we waver all the time we will not be a good testimony. Character is being consistent day in and day out. Also we need to ask God for Wisdom in all that we do. It is important to God because by our character we show Him that we are becoming more and more like Him.

A woman of character will live her life out before her husband in a godly way even in the privacy of the home. It will turn the Husband to notice the difference and desire to show respect to his wife.

i Obedience to God makes us Christlike - meek, humble, pure in heart, poor in spirit (lacking arrogance), hungering for righteousness, and mourning for lack of it, merciful, peacemakers, unmoved when persecuted for a righteous stand. These qualities make a powerful, strong, gentle and generous person whose inner beauty is consistent, and does not wither and fade.

ii One gains character by not submitting to persecution, what others think, but standing up with a leader's determination and strength for righteousness, integrity, truth and those in need of support.

iii God can bless a man/woman with true character and from them create His fruitfulness - blessing for others and glory for His Name.

iv People can trust a person of good character. A husband trusts her with his property and is safe from harsh words in her presence. These things are not easily found. A husband will certainly compare his wife with the wives of others to some extent, and find that his good wife is a huge blessing. If he has wisdom he will hold onto such a wife and not be seduced by another out of the frying pan into the fire!

Pastor Ralph, on Mar 4 2004, 10:50 PM, said:

One cultivates inner beauty by cultivating the source of it -- a close relationship with our Creator and Savior. Through Him we learn how to truly love others, and what is inner beauty but the light of perfect love shining through us through our thoughts, words and actions.
One gains character through challenging circumstances which force us to choose the path we wish to follow -- laying down our lives as Christ did in order to walk with our Father, or following our own selfish desires. As we grow in our walk, and our characters are strengthened through testing, it becomes more natural to choose the former and ignore the latter.
True character is so important and precious to God, because it is the true essence of what and who He created us to be. Our true Christian character can be likened to the silver or gold which has been purified in the crucible. When God looks into our true characters -- those which have been sanctified by Christ and purified through testing, He sees his own Perfect reflection shining back.
True character applies to marriage as well as all relationships in that with it we are able to love unconditionally. We are thus more accepting of our spouses, less dependent on them to "make us happy" and therefore happier and more pleasant to be around. I believe, though I speak from the female perspective, that a man admires in his wife all of those traits which shine forth from true character -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control, and will reflect them back to her in kind.

A woman cultivates inner beauty reverence, purity, gentleness, and a quiet spirit.
This kind of character comes from yielding to the Spirit of God and allowing Him to reign in your life.
True character is important and precious to God because He looks upon the heart not outward appearance. He values our character highly.

It is interesting that the question is how inner beauty is cultivated. The word cultivate is important to this subject. To cultivate something implies the care of something like a garden. First , the ground is broken so the seed can be planted, then the seed goes into the ground, and then there is fertilization, watering. Then heat from the sun brings germination of the seed. As the tender plant grows weeds must be taken from the garden. The mature plant brings forth fruit. All this takes constant care. God's wWord planted in our heart brings forth fruit only in as much as we care for it and nurture it and allow the Holy Spirit to bring forth the fruit of righteousness within us. One gains character by yielding to God through His Word. Apply your heart unto righteousness. Seek it as one would a pearl of great price.
True character is so important to God because it is the nature of His Son and our Savior. God tells us to, "be holy for I am Holy". We can and must have the character of Christ if we are to see God.
Character can help a woman win and keep a man because if she has true character she will not be unequally yoked. He too will seek God with all his heart. Her husband will treasure her because she is submissive to God and is trustworthy in all her ways.

Inner beauty is cultivated by encouraging the growth of qualities that God desires us to have, and by actively discouraging the negative qualities that try to consume us in our daily lives. Character is developed by living the commandments that God has given to us, and by imitating our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must pick up our cross each day, and try again..this will be pleasing to the Father.
By showing her husband how her walk with God makes her a desirable person, she gives glory to God, and will help lead those of us in need of salvation to the Lord. Her exibition of true character to him should inspire him to honor her and the God that she worships.