Are you and I one of “the Beautiful People”? We should be!

Are you beautiful? I hope it won’t be a depressing shock for any of our readers to find out that if you Google “World’s Most Beautiful people” – surprise -- you and I won’t be found on that list anywhere! I looked and looked, and somehow they missed me…and you. (LOL). That doesn’t seem fair somehow. (Laughing). No one ever mistakes me for Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Tom Cruise. I don’t even recognize the names of the top 30 most beautiful women except for Angelina Jolie, Beyonce and a couple other names. That’s how far out of the loop I am. I didn’t see any of the poor of the world on that list either.

Most of the people of God I’ve seen wouldn’t be picked as models strutting down a fashion runway or win any beauty contests or be picked to model the latest men’s underwear. No loss there. My children, though I think they are wonderful and even beautiful, didn’t grow up looking like Ken and Barbie dolls. Aren’t they “divorced” now? Hmmm… have to check that out.

Now here’s the point of this blog: you have been born and created to be beautiful! Did you know that? I am not talking being “beautiful” as the world sees beauty, but what your Maker says HE considers to be beautiful. I know that you and I can be beautiful and are beautiful right now to the One who counts—EVEN IF you have had diseases, even if you’re growing old, have sagging skin, are overweight, have had amputations, have survived a fire and are permanently scarred—or whatever your situation is!

You may even be, in God’s eyes, one of the most beautiful people in your country.

Looking beautiful and youthful forever has been a long-sought after goal – for millennia. Now in this age of high-def TV, where every hair, every pimple and every line is seen in high definition, I’m reading how even beautiful actors and actresses are stressed out! So they put high value and spend lots of money to look even more beautiful and youthful. So they have Botox shots, liposuction, hair coloring to get rid of the grey and white hair; have face-lifts, nose jobs, breast implants, cosmetic surgery, teeth-whitening, “new” teeth with perfect smiles, hair implants or plastic surgery. Some women panic if they have any cellulite on their thighs. All of that is highly esteemed – by man at least. But I wonder how much of those bodies are even real? Or is it mostly expensive plastic and surgery? So the poor people of the world will rarely be esteemed as “the beautiful people” of the world. They can’t afford Botox shots, face lifts and fake breasts. But those poor people at least are REAL.

What does GOD say? I hope we can grow more and more to see ourselves and one another as GOD sees us, not as man sees.

The Bible is clear that many of its heroes were in fact beautiful in their prime – Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Joseph, Moses, David, Bathsheba and others were very attractive. (See Gen 12:11,14; 24:16; 29:17; 39:6; Exodus 2:2; 2 Samuel 11:2).So God is not against being beautiful outwardly! If you are naturally beautiful, this is not a diatribe against people who look good, OK? I still admire beauty too – whether in a woman or a man or even a beautiful animal. Beauty is fine if it doesn’t become an all-consuming goal and priority.

But oddly enough, when Jesus came as a man…was HE good looking by man’s standards?

Isaiah 53:2

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him,

There is NO BEAUTY that we should desire Him”.

Please read the rest of this blog so you have the Bible perspective of Beauty and can teach this to your children and grandchildren.

What does Jesus look like today? We have the dazzling description in Revelation 1 – but I mean his looks, his face, his body? And he doesn’t look at ALL like the pictures we commonly associate with him – an artist’s impression. He didn’t – and doesn’t – have long hair. Nor was he effeminate looking. Many talk about how beautiful Jesus is. Indeed HE is, but if you’re looking for him to be beautiful or good looking as the world defines that, I think we’re in for a shock.

For example, it appears he still retains the holes in his wrists/hands and in his side that we – humanity- put there. Is it possible, that he also retains the scars from his scourging before we crucified Him? If so, that could hardly be called “beautiful” – unless we start seeing as our Father sees. I understand. I know Yeshua is a SPIRIT now. I know He shines as the sun in all its glory. But apparently when He appears without the brilliance so we can see Him – as the apostles did after His resurrection – they saw holes in his body where the nails and spear had gone! (John 20:24-29) Thomas said unless he could see the prints made by the nails and see the hole in Jesus’ side from the spear, that he would not believe. Jesus appeared – and Thomas believed. Thomas saw the holes and the scars on the risen Christ -- his Lord and his God.

Apparently the only things in heaven right now that are man-made are the holes and maybe scars that mankind put on our Savior. But I’ll guarantee you this: The Son looks beautiful to God Most High, to God His Father. What mankind values as important is opposite from God’s view. For example, God HIMSELF does not use hair coloring but we see HIS hair is WHITE as snow (Revelation 1:14; Daniel 7:9). White hair should be a badge of experience and wisdom – not something we need to be self-conscious about.

What humanity esteems are good looks, power, driving the latest sports car, living in a beautiful home in the best part of town and having lots of money. We’re more into image than reality. Here’s what Yeshua had to say about all that:

Luke 16:15

And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God”.

Even political candidates have no chance of winning if they don’t have money and good looks. Nixon is said to have lost to Kennedy because of “5 o’clock shadow”. (Though nowadays, some men go for the messed-up hair look or the 2-3 day unshaven look!)

But is that what GOD looks for in a leader? When Samuel was wondering which of Jesse’s sons would be the chosen king of Israel, God had to tell even Samuel to quit looking at outward impressions. In fact, Yehoweh (or YHVH) had to miraculously show Samuel who the right son was! (The original Hebrew for most places in the Hebrew scriptures where we read “the Lord” is YHVH. That is his primary name.)

1 Samuel 16:7

But YHVH said to Samuel, "Do NOT look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For YHVH does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but YHVH looks at the heart."

Are we GETTING it?

So my question, God’s question, to each of us is this (and I always must preach to myself first and foremost): Do you and I have a beautiful HEART? For that’s what counts with God.

Peter told women of his day that their focus should not be on their outward appearance so much as that they should have a beautiful INSIDE. Some speak of people who are INWARDLY beautiful. That’s the focus. Sure, it would be nice to be “beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside” – but what gets points with God is how beautiful we are INSIDE, in our HEARTS. An incorruptible gentle and quiet spirit is what HE esteems.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Do NOT let your adornment be merely OUTWARD — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — 4 rather let it be the HIDDEN person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

We’ve read this a thousand times maybe. But are we listening? Our Maker wants you to beautiful, HIS way. He wants you to be clothed with the exquisitely beautiful garments of His salvation – of Yeshua! That’s what Isaiah 61:10says. HE covers you with HIS beauty, HIS righteousness, HIS perfection. HE causes righteousness (the next verse Isa 61:11 says that!).

Psalms 149:4

For Yehoweh takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation (the Hebrew for salvation is yeshua).

Wow, are we getting it? You and I are in the Messiah, who is our covering, is our beauty, is our salvation. Praise Yah! Hallelu YAH! And so be thankful that in the Master’s eyes, YOU – if you have been given the new heart from God, if you are “in HIM”, in Christ – YOU, are truly beautiful in His eyes.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

If we could Google our Father’s list of whom HE considers truly beautiful, if you and I are “in Him”, we would be on that Beautiful list. Christ will present you as a Bride without spot or wrinkle – meaning the inward beauty primarily – because you are part of HIM and his perfection, you’re in him, you’re covered by him.

He makes all things beautiful in its time. That means even you. Even I. It’s hard to imagine being truly beautiful after all the ugly things we’ve been or done. But that’s the glory of our GREAT AND AWESOME heavenly Dad: that He changes people. He’s into lifting up, raising up, healing, beautifying, bringing beauty where there was none – even to you and to me. Hallelujah. Praise you Abba. Praise you Yeshua.

Our affianced bridegroom is in the process of removing our spots and wrinkles – by bringing us in Him. HE has the spot remover. He has the “iron” to iron out the wrinkles. HE is the Creator of the New Creation. That’s not our job. I’m not a creator. HE is. He always has been the One Creator changing us into a beautiful new creation that grows more and more into His own image – loving, gracious, kind, humble, peaceful. And beautiful.

Then He presents you to Himself faultless, all glorious within (Jude 24; Psalm 45:13-15).

So – all you beautiful people of God – have a nice day and a glorious eternity!