A Daily Beauty
9Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."
12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."
15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Bee's Thoughts:We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to what happens to us? True, yet not so true.
The fallen human race has lost control over sins and our reactions from our sinful nature, although many would have tried hard to live rightly. But when we search deep in our hearts we would find that in certain things we just couldn't overcome what's our human nature.
But thank be to God that through Jesus Christ we are able to let His Holy Spirit help us live a victorious life. We no longer need to obey the law of sin but to submit to the law of the Spirit.
For born-again Christians, the glory of God will shine through even when we go through hardship like anybody else (provided we submit to God), like in the case of Stephen in the above passage. That marks the difference between believers and non-believers.
Dear Lord,
When in distress and heartaches, thank You for your strength and love to help me go through those period. I want to praise You that Your countenance shines on me as I let You lead. Thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.
Tommy's Thoughts:
I know very well that internal characteristics and attitudes of a person are more important and lasting than physical appearance. But, I still find it difficult to get past those superficial, surface issues of looks and performance in front of others. We’re too easily impressed or affected by image but God wants us to value qualities that last.
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7.
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” – Proverbs 31:30
When we get right down to it, we’ll realized it’s not the outside that ultimately important but the heart, personality and character. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we’ll be able to build our inner characteristics that are lasting, magnetic, that appeal not to just to the opposite sex but to people in general.
Dear Heavenly Father, all beauty and perfection originates in You and You are the most attractive of all. Thank You for showing me the importance of characteristics and attitudes than merely focusing on physical appearance and image. Teach me to trust You by faith to produce all the beautiful characteristics of Lord Jesus in me, reflecting His character to the world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
