Impressing God....A Devotion from 2003

The other day I was working out at the gym when a young beautiful woman came into the room, she had a nice figure, a great complexion and beautiful long curly hair. I could feel the shoulders of all the other women slouch down at least two inches, including my own. I knew each woman was probably thinking the same thing I was, "Why work out, I'll never look like that." Then I could feel the electricity heighten in the room as all the other women began to walk a little faster, push a little harder, stretch a little farther in hopes that we might become closer to what we were comparing ourselves to.

Do you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others, trying to make yourself look good for those around you? Who is it that you are trying to impress? Is it your friends, parents, teachers or that guy in your history class? It's not always our physical appearance, but our intelligence, our talents, even our good deeds, that we try to impress others with. This constant desire to impress others to the point we become obsessive is pride. It is not wrong to want others to know your good personality or even to be complimented at times but sometimes our desires to impress people get in the way of impressing the most important person.....GOD.

Have you ever done something that everyone applauds but in your heart you know that God really wanted you to do something else? Or have you verbally patted yourself on the back when what God really wants is for you to be quiet?

Is finding out what God wants you to do every moment and focusing on his will your main goal? Is God asking you to do something that is more behind the scenes than on center stage? Is your main desire to win the heart of God?

David was a man after God's own heart. We should strive to be a woman after God's own heart, a woman he would be proud to call his daughter.

Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." There is nothing wrong with wanting to look attractive or show off our talents at times but we need to focus mainly on our inner beauty, the beauty that pleases our Father.