Daily devotional, October 31, 2023 Glass Skin
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:3
Korean Glass Skin is a beauty trend nowadays, much sought after by girls and women wanting to have flawless, poreless, and translucent-like skin. Dozens upon dozens of products are peddled in online and physical stores, promising the perfect complexion.
Unlike the people of today who seek and admire flawless and radiant skin, the Israelites back in the Old Testament suddenly got afraid of Moses when they saw his face shining. During that time, Moses just received the new tablets that contained the Ten Commandments from the Lord. When He was done talking to God, he descended from the mountain to the surprise of his people. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God” (Exodus 34:29).
Moses’ radiant face was not because of anything superficial. It was borne of his constant communication with God. Whenever he talked to the Lord, his face shone right after, but instead of taking pride in his radiant skin, he hid it with his veil.
As Christians, we can take a cue from Moses. If we want to really shine, we can, and this can be achieved not by using expensive skin products but by walking with God every single day. By communing with Him daily through quiet time, regular bible reading, joining bible study groups and weekly worship with fellow believers, we get to journey with Christ throughout our lifetime. We get to seek His wisdom in every decision that we make, and we get to live His perfect will and plan for our lives: “Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded,” (James 4:8).
And like Moses, we should stay humble. Sometimes, when we think we know much already about the bible and we are being a good Christian we tend to shove our righteousness in other people’s faces. We tend to look down on them when their lives are not shining as bright as ours. We should remember that our righteousness comes from the Lord and that we should remain humble no matter how good we think we are: “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Our “shining face” should instead manifest on others in a meaningful and spiritual way, not just superficial through facial beauty and other admirable physical traits. We must bear fruits of the Holy Spirit that others could see and emulate. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul encouraged everyone to serve in love and walk by the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law,” (Galatians 5:22-23).
There is nothing wrong trying to look good, but at the end of the day, our looks would not matter. As 1 Peter 3:3-4 says “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Our beauty should be skin deep, and evident on others as we shine Jesus light on them.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Exodus 34:27-35 and Proverbs 31:10-31, to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: How do you ensure that your beauty is not just skin-deep?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for allowing us to seek you. Help us to remain faithful to walk with you through our life journey so that we can shine your light on others too. Amen.
