1. Very Beautiful… What are we doing to take care of our bodies? Beauty looks differently to everyone. There is no absolute when it comes to beauty. As children of the King of kings we are responsible to maintain healthy lifestyles. That includes eating the right things and limiting the wrong things. Notice I did not say eliminating the wrong things… let’s be real, I’m not going to stop eating cheese puffs, I just can’t eat them everyday. We also need to be conscious of our sleeping and skincare habits… I’m totally guilty of not getting enough sleep and not washing the makeup off my face before going to bed. Am I the only one?? Let’s not forget exercising! It’s so hard to get the momentum going but once you’re in, it could be the best stress reliever and empowering activity you have in your life. And remember your outer beauty is limited by your inner beauty. Make sure to work on your inner beauty as much or more than you do on your outer beauty. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Is your heart beautiful?
   
2. A Virgin… In this day and age we are so bombarded with sex and sexual innuendos everywhere we look, making it more than challenging to escape the lustful propaganda.
   

• If you are a virgin protect your virginity with your life! Don’t throw your pearls to swine! (Matt 7:6)
• If you are no longer a virgin for reasons that were out of your control; understand that it was not your fault. Release the shame and guilt to Christ. Forgive. As hard as it may be, forgiveness is key. Forgive your perpetrator and forgive yourself. The enemy wants to keep you stuck in guilt and shame convincing you that you did something wrong. But you didn’t! Seek professional Christian help and allow Christ to bring healing to the hidden places of your heart. Psalm 147:3 promises that Jesus is ready to mend your broken heart and heal your wounds.   
• If you do not fall into the first two categories know that I do not judge or condemn you! Jesus doesn’t either. Turn from your sin, confess it to Christ. Repent. Forgive yourself and start anew. For though your sins are red like scarlet Christ can wash them white as snow! Isaiah 1:18

Virginity equates to purity. Purity of heart, mind, and body. Above I mentioned that inner beauty is more valuable than external beauty.

• Purity of heart is where it all starts. It’s from our hearts that purity will flow. If we have lust within our hearts than we will act upon those lustful desires. We may pretend we have it under control and suppress it or hide it. But the truth will always come through. If we have lustful hearts no matter how much willpower we use eventually we won’t be strong enough to contain it any longer. 
• Being pure of mind is a matter of our thoughts. What do we allow ourselves to think? What do we allow ourselves to watch, listen to and read. These factors influence our thought lives. We need to protect our minds and shield ourselves from taking in anything that can lead our thoughts to a lustful place. But when it happens, because we are human and it may very well be inevitable, we must capture those thoughts and submit them to the word of Christ.  (2 Cor. 10:5)

Lately I’ve been learning that it’s not what I put into my heart but what comes out of it. Our heart is the spring and purity needs to start there in order to well up out of it and into the rest of our lives. Maintaining purity isn’t always about the willpower to say no in the heat of the moment. It’s about having a pure heart versus a sinful one. I know I’ve focused on lust while referring to purity but other conditions of the heart we should be aware of are: jealousy, envy, greed, hate, guilt and shame. A great resource to learn how to combat four of these heart poisons is Andy Stanley’s book Enemies of the Heart.
3. Hardworking… Rebekah is a working girl. Most of us are now-a-days. I don’t know about you but I have never filled a jar with water and carried it on my shoulder. I can’t even begin to imagine how much upper body strength this girl had to be able to do this manual labor. Ladies let’s be hardworking. Let’s be diligent in our work. Focused on being the best at what we do that Christ may be glorified through our work ethic. Verse 16 doesn’t give Rebekah justice as too how hardworking she is. Next week I want to dig a little deeper into the next few verses and talk about some more of the qualities Rebekah possesses that would look lovely on us.

My Prayer for You:
Dear Jesus I pray that you may shine your light into the depths of our hearts. I ask you to remove all darkness and impurity from within us my God, that we may lead pure lives. I ask you to reveal to us those areas in our hearts that need to be cleansed by your hand that we may be able to pray for those areas specifically. Thank you for hearing us and for sacrificing your own purity that we may be able to experience purity in you. Lord I pray for the readers who have suffered from any type of abuse. I ask you to mend their hearts and bind up their wounds. Please lead them to the right help where they can face their truths and find healing in you. Thank you because even in our darkest moments you are by our side. Thank you because you hear our prayers and act upon them. I ask that we may have the patience and courage to wait on your response. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Memory Verse: Psalm 51:10
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.