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Personal Image
Read 1 Peter 3:3, 4. How different is what’s said there from what society teaches us?
Society has placed an excessive value on personal image. This is a weakness that has accompanied humans for their entire history. In our days, this emphasis on beauty and personal care has reached overwhelming proportions. The worldwide cosmetic industry alone is more than half of the global food retail market. In addition to cosmetics, many people spend endless resources in body building, facelifts, hair transplants, plastic surgery, special diets, and so on, all in order to improve their appearances.
This intensive desire to become more beautiful also has the risk of becoming addictive. Some develop exercise addiction; others the addiction to eat a little less each time, to the point of endangering their lives. Others may become obsessed with hair or skin beauty, submitting themselves to sophisticated, costly, and never-ending treatments.
How would you interpret Matthew 6:19–21 in the context we are looking at? How do the same principles apply?
There is nothing wrong with being fit, clean, and nice-looking. It is the constant focus on these things that can draw our hearts to them to the point of letting them become idols. Jesus talked about the need to develop treasures in heaven, not on earth where things do not last and may distract us from God’s kingdom. Indeed, there’s one thing about looks that you can be sure of: sooner or later, time and gravity will take them away.
Like material resources, our bodies are a treasure entrusted to us, but we run a serious risk to make it an idol when our devotion to it becomes excessive. It’s not always easy to know when a line has been crossed; hence, the need for all of us to be careful in this regard.
What kind of messages are we creating for our young people in the church in regard to this area? What are we emphasizing? In what subtle ways might we be sending wrong messages? Bring your answer to class on Sabbath.
| THURSDAY | March 10 |
Read 1 Peter 3:3, 4. How different is what’s said there from what society teaches us?
Society has placed an excessive value on personal image. This is a weakness that has accompanied humans for their entire history. In our days, this emphasis on beauty and personal care has reached overwhelming proportions. The worldwide cosmetic industry alone is more than half of the global food retail market. In addition to cosmetics, many people spend endless resources in body building, facelifts, hair transplants, plastic surgery, special diets, and so on, all in order to improve their appearances.
This intensive desire to become more beautiful also has the risk of becoming addictive. Some develop exercise addiction; others the addiction to eat a little less each time, to the point of endangering their lives. Others may become obsessed with hair or skin beauty, submitting themselves to sophisticated, costly, and never-ending treatments.
How would you interpret Matthew 6:19–21 in the context we are looking at? How do the same principles apply?
There is nothing wrong with being fit, clean, and nice-looking. It is the constant focus on these things that can draw our hearts to them to the point of letting them become idols. Jesus talked about the need to develop treasures in heaven, not on earth where things do not last and may distract us from God’s kingdom. Indeed, there’s one thing about looks that you can be sure of: sooner or later, time and gravity will take them away.
Like material resources, our bodies are a treasure entrusted to us, but we run a serious risk to make it an idol when our devotion to it becomes excessive. It’s not always easy to know when a line has been crossed; hence, the need for all of us to be careful in this regard.
What kind of messages are we creating for our young people in the church in regard to this area? What are we emphasizing? In what subtle ways might we be sending wrong messages? Bring your answer to class on Sabbath.
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