1 Peter 3:4 Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight.
This week I've been trying to get you interactive with others so these thoughts will impact how you think and do. So have fun with this and see if God doesn't do something special for you today.
Place a small amount of flour in one brown paper bag and rocks or gravel in another. Without their knowing what is inside, have another family member guess, then reach into one bag at a time and describe how the contents feel. Both bags look exactly the same on the outside, but the contents of one are soft, while the contents of the other are hard.
People are like these bags — you can't always tell what's on the inside. You learn in 1 Samuel 16:7 that "man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God knows you can use your outward appearance — how you act and what you say — to cover up what's really inside, just like the bags covered their contents.
You might act kind and gentle but have bad attitudes or mean thoughts. While God wants you to be gentle on the outside, He also wants your heart to be gentle. When your heart is full of gentleness, God can use you to bless others.
Ask God to help you keep your heart gentle. Talk to Him about times when you haven't had a heart of gentleness, and ask for His forgiveness.
Questions for Growth
- Who is someone you know with a gentle heart? What do you like about this person?
- Who is someone you know with a hard heart? How does this person treat you?
- What causes your heart to become hard?
- What are some ways you can keep your heart soft?
You are Loved!
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