"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" - 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV).
The tomato is a vegetable berry widely used for soups, salads and even cocktails. When mature it beams with a succulent red. Because of its value farmers of tomatoes often engage in spraying chemicals to ward off pests as it ripens. Usually then it bears ugly marks till maturity. It might have looked bad on the outside but once harvested it is full and juicy inside.
In the Christian life something that matters most is what is inside us rather than outside. When a Christian encounters troubling storms his pose might look tried. However, because we have the power of the Holy Spirit holding us within while the outside may pose concern there is a beauty that glows inside.
If you have noticed the world is so focused on the outside while ignoring the inside. Consider how much is spent on cosmetics to improve our physical appearence, a struggle which is actually a race against time. Eventually the outside fades with age and natural contours give way along with grey hair.
However, if one has given attention to the inside, the Holy spirit enables one to flower with age. Anyone of us should be more concerned with what is inside than the outside. For as the Apostle Peter once elaborated, "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" (1 Peter 3: 3-4).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray for beauty that flows from within, of a gentle and quiet spirit, which does not fade as it is in you, this I pray in Jesus's name.