Fear

 Proverbs 31:30 ESV

 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.


I remember many years ago going out with a woman who was charming and beautiful, but didn't fear the Lord. Thankfully I remembered this verse and wasn't charmed by her. Some women and men might even profess faith in God, but in reality, many even professing Christians don't fear the Lord.

It's not enough to pay God lip service. Man looks out the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. What matters isn't so much what we say as who we are.

There's not necessarily anything wrong with charm and beauty and all God's other good gifts. Yet there's everything wrong with idolising such things, putting them in the place of God. Money is one of the biggest temptations, never mind women for men!

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with money. Yet the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. We cannot serve both God and money.

'Heavenly Father, please help us to choose our spouses carefully. Please forgive us for times we've chosen wrongly. In Jesus's name, amen'. 


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