A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

Peter's words to wives are quite clear -- "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious."Consider the power of these words. Of all the things that wives think are important, the one thing that God views as "precious" is a gentle and quiet spirit. How significant is this to you? How important is God's opinion in your decision making?

He does not say that a gentle and quiet spirit is "precious in man's sight." You are not called to be "gentle and quiet" because it will please your husband, but in order to please God. He sees your faithfulness in this regard as "precious." Your arguments are not precious in His sight. Your sarcasm and cleverness are not precious in His sight. Your manipulations are not precious in His sight. He is not thrilled by your ability to win a fight. What He wants and deems precious is a gentle and quiet spirit. 

We will talk about gentle and quiet as we go forward. For today, think on this promise. There is something that God desires greatly in your life. It is not something you can put into a list. It is not praying for a certain amount of time every day, or giving a certain amount of money, or reading a certain number of verses. It is becoming a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit. Scripture tells us what this means, but we must start at the reality that very few women view this in the way God views it. 

This is about who you are and who you plan to be. Is it your desire to be precious in the sight of God? Or is it your desire to do what pleases you or pleases the world?