Joy in Loving Jesus
Hello, Beautiful!
We are on week three of this series. If you haven’t read the first two articles yet, you can access them here:
Joy in Loving Jesus
We learned in the first article that there are three basic steps to achieving beauty from the inside out. The second article discussed the first step: having an accurate view of yourself. Basically, seeing yourself from God’s perspective.
This week we will talk about the second step, which is: having a love for Jesus!
Beautiful Attitude
An attitude can make you beautiful or ugly. Have you ever seen someone who is a magnificent specimen of beauty but their attitude makes them very unattractive. For instance, an attractive woman who holds her nose in the air is hideous when she walks around thinking she is better than others. A very good-looking man can become repulsive when he constantly checks his reflection in the mirror and assumes every woman adores him.
When you fall in love with Jesus, your whole attitude changes. Your focus is not on you anymore. God changes your heart. He puts a deep desire within you to want to serve others. As you grow in your faith and your love for Jesus, He will give you an attitude of humble love and compassion for others. If you truly seek His will for your life, your attitude will become one of love for others and wanting to meet the needs of those around you. This will make you more beautiful.
Rom 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The Joy of the Lord
A love for Jesus will bring joy to your heart. It is not the same as happiness. It’s difficult to describe. But, my definition is that happiness is just on the surface. Joy wells up from the depths of your heart. Others can see it in your face, your eyes, in your smile. It spills out in your actions as well.
There was a lady in our Bible study group who told me that my face lit up whenever I talked about Jesus. What a compliment! It was the joy that I felt in my heart spilling over through my facial expression. That isn’t something you can fake. And it is very beautiful!
Isaiah 61:3, 7, 10 “[God has sent me] to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning…” “Everlasting joy shall be theirs.” “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Joy Gives You Strength
Have you ever heard the saying, “The joy of the Lord is your strength?” There is even a song with those words. It’s true! It is an amazing weapon. When you have the joy of the Lord in your heart, it can overcome discouragement and depression! It will fight pessimism, anxiety, fear, and worry. It can even help you endure pain.
So, let your love for Jesus fill your heart with joy! And allow it to spill over onto everyone around you. Let it flow out into your attitude and behaviors. Look for ways today to let the love of Jesus shine through; in acts of kindness and compassion to others. Then you will be well on your way to becoming gorgeous!
Join me every Monday in the series, “Hello, Beautiful!” Here, we will explore how each one of us can become beautiful… from the inside out!
If you would like to read the first two articles in this series, you can access them here:
