Charm and Beauty

" 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." - Proverbs 31:29-31 ESV

I hope every husband says this about their wives. There is a caring, industrious, thoughtful, wise woman in every woman that knows Christ. Not everyone sees her but she is there. A sleeping beauty who waits for the son of the King to come and awaken her. Awe of God takes a stepchild and makes her into a princess. Her arms become strong. Her heart reaches out and considers others in her schedule. What she does and says is heard and seen on high.

The word translated charm there is really a word that means grace. Grace apart from substance is deceitful. Beauty apart from substance has nothing behind it. These are not born for adversity.

Grace deceitful? Apart from the fear of God it certainly is. Grace and truth meet in Christ and nowhere else. He is the Son of the King... the true noble man and only He can wake the sleeper. Only He can bring life out of death and redemption out of destruction.

The con-man can simulate favor and charm for a while. He or she seems to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22f) for a season. Grace is many things but above all it is a method or mode of operating. The charmer uses it to establish a connection. They give a person special favor and attention so that they can match their actions to a person's preferences and get what they want from them. The goal is a combination of power and pleasure.

Man's favor and beauty will not last. They will fail the test. Perhaps they will make it through the water but not through the fire. God's throne of grace is ever living. His favor can not lie. His beauty will not fade. His love is true, reliable and clean. God's goal is love. He starts there are ends there as well. Redemption is love worked out in time.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." - Psalms 19:14 KJV

If our meditation is on God's redemptive favor our words will reflect that favor and those words will impart life.