I wonder how many books and articles have been written on how to be beautiful, how to stay young, and how to look good? It’s a topic most of us care about. I want to give you some beauty tips—and these are for men as well as women. I promise you, these are guaranteed to improve how you look to others—and they are right out of God’s Word!
Beauty Tips for Your Lips
For years I have prayed David’s prayer in Psalm 141:3: “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” I often visualize two guards—one on each side of my mouth—keeping watch over what comes out of my lips. I can tell you that this is one of my greatest challenges—to let God control the words from my lips.
Our lips have the power to speak words of life or death. If you want to really improve how you look to others, the first place to start is by guarding the words that come out of your lips. I find that I must be intentional about this; I must be aware of what I say and I must consciously remember to speak words of encouragement and kindness.
Here are some guidelines I try to remember:
- If you think something complimentary or encouraging about someone, speak what you’re thinking. Whether it’s a stranger or the person dearest to you, be sure to speak the kind words you think. Recently I was eating in a busy fast-food place, and I noticed one woman who was outstanding in her attitude and service to the customers. I made it a point to tell her how impressed I was with her. Why not? She deserved those words of encouragement. Don’t forget those closest to you—like your children, or your mate, or your co-workers. They need to hear kind words from you, too.
- Don’t speak words that don’t have to be spoken. Proverbs 17:27 tells us that one who has knowledge uses words with restraint. In other words, if you’re smart, you won’t talk too much. I often remind myself that I don’t have to say everything I’m thinking!
- Speak words of praise to God out loud anytime you can. Let your ears hear words of praise coming from your lips. In Psalm 119:171, the Psalmist says, “May my lips overflow with praise….” When your lips overflow with praise, they become beautiful lips! This is one way to encourage yourself. Speak words of praise, even if your heart is heavy. It will make a difference.
My first beauty tip is to make your lips beautiful by speaking words of life. Words are the fruit of your lips, so “let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
Beauty Tips for Your Eyes
Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23). Jesus uses an obvious illustration about eyes to explain the importance of spiritual eyesight. When your physical eyes function properly, you can see whatever is visible. But poor eyesight means that images are distorted and you are seeing the world around you with poor perception.
The kind of beautiful eyes you need are what I call “Forever Eyes”: the ability to see your circumstances, your world, and the people in your world from an eternal perspective. When your eyes are Forever Eyes, they make your whole body bright. This kind of eyesight helps you see people the way Jesus sees them, enabling you to be compassionate and loving toward others because you see them through Forever Eyes. It gives you a right perspective of the circumstances of your life, and keeps you from being obsessed by things that really don’t matter.
I well remember a time when I worked for a difficult manager and I kept trying to get out of that job. Finally God made it clear that he had me there, working for that difficult person, for a reason: God wanted to change me! So, for the first time, I began to pray that God would help me see this man the way God saw him—to see him through Forever Eyes. Changing the focus of my eyes changed me overnight! From that day forward, I was able to have compassion for this man.
Beautiful eyes are those that see from God’s perspective rather than from a selfish one. How do you get Forever Eyes? You pray them on each day. For those of us who wear glasses or contacts, we have to put them on each day in order to see clearly. The same is true for Forever Eyes. Each morning, pray for God to give you Forever Eyes for that day.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. . .” (Ephesians 1:18). That’s a good way to start your day! Pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened so you can see through God’s eyes. Then, I promise: you will have beautiful eyes!
Beauty Tips for Your Posture
I can remember as a teenager my mom often telling me, “Mary, stand up straight!” She recognized how important posture is in how people see you. If you walk or sit with your shoulders straight and your head held high, you definitely present a much more attractive appearance.
What should your posture be as God’s child? You need to stand up straight and firm on the sure foundation of God’s Word! That means, of course, you have to continually be learning truth from God’s Word through Bible study. Are you involved in an intentional, focused study of God’s Word, either on your own or in a small group? If not, why not? If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, there really can’t be a good excuse for not studying the Bible.
A Christian’s posture should be one of standing firm because of what Christ has done for you. One of my favorite passages is Psalm 40:2-3: “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” When you’ve been taken out of the world’s slimy pit and given a firm place to stand, your posture should be one of praise and joy! As a result, many should recognize what God has done for you.
A Christian’s posture should also be one of standing straight and firm even when life is hard. Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” Do you have a posture of standing firm in the midst of life’s storms?
This biblical beauty tip is to make sure you have good posture: Stand firm in your faith; let nothing move you. Remember, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
Beauty Tips for Your Hands
If I wrote, “I’m going to have a mani and a pedi,” would you know what I meant? I think most of us women would know the shorthand we use for manicures and pedicures. That’s what we do to keep our hands and feet looking good. As your beauty consultant with beauty tips from the Bible, I want to share how you can keep your hands really beautiful.
Psalm 24:3-5 says, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord.”
As parents, we had to frequently remind our children when they were young to wash their hands, because dirty hands carry germs and that can cause illness. The same is true for you spiritually: you need to frequently “wash your hands” and make sure that you keep your heart pure. You do that by confessing your sins willingly and regularly, keeping short accounts with the Lord, so that your heart is pure.
Beautiful hands are hands that reach out to help others. In describing the ideal woman, Proverbs 31:20 says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” In these last months, God has really been convicting me of the importance of reaching out to those who are hungry, and those who are in bondage and slavery; right here in our own country, as well as far off. Throughout Scripture, again and again we are told to take care of the poor and the orphan, the widow and the oppressed. Hands that help those who are needy are the most beautiful hands! What have you done recently to help the poor and needy?
Beautiful hands are busy hands. Proverbs 12:24 says that “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.” The Bible further says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
Lastly, your hands should be used to praise the Lord. Psalm 47:1 declares, “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Psalm 134:2 says to “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” Paul wrote this to young Timothy: “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing” (I Timothy 2:8). Your hands should be used to praise the Lord!
Beauty Tips for Your Feet
How about your feet? Are they beautiful? I admit that I don’t think of feet as being beautiful—certainly not my feet. But the Bible describes beautiful feet in Isaiah 52:7:
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
For your feet to be beautiful, you must use them to tell the good news that Jesus has come to bring peace and salvation. You must be bold in proclaiming that our God reigns and he is Lord of heaven and earth. Wherever your feet take you each day, are you finding opportunities to bring good news and proclaim salvation? That is what makes feet beautiful!
Proverbs 4:26 says, “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.” You are responsible for the paths that your feet take. Level paths will take you to church regularly, to fellowship with other believers, to people and places who will edify you and build you up.
I think of how easily I can choose a path of convenience, a path of self-glory, a path of laziness, or a path of wasted time. Those are not firm paths, but they look very inviting sometimes, don’t they?
David wrote the following: “My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped” (Psalm 17:5). As long as he made level paths for his feet, that was true. However, on one occasion he chose a wrong path—the path of adultery. His commitment to keep his feet from slipping was overcome by his passion…and his feet slipped. The consequences of that wrong path were devastating for David and his family.
I recently heard Andy Stanley say that the number one enemy of wisdom is our passion. David had the wisdom to know that he should not take that adulterous path, but he allowed his passion to overrule wisdom.
Proverbs 4:26-27 is a warning written by David’s son, Solomon:
Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
The word of God must be the lamp to your feet and the light for your path. I encourage you today to make sure your feet are beautiful, they stay on the right path, and they bring good news to the people in your world.