Modesty Matters – part two
04 May 2010 1 Comment
in Modesty, Uncategorized
Modesty and the Christian’s Responsibility
If we’re dressing modestly, our dress will not say, “Look at my position, look at my possessions, or look at my person.” Our dress will not say, “Lust, pride or money.” Our dress will say, “Purity, humility and moderation.” A good working definition of modesty is, “Not dressing in excess and/or immorality.”
We’re going to go now into the Christian’s responsibility. We’ll look at the girl’s part first. Look at 1 Timothy 2:9, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.”
Why shouldn’t a teenage girl dress in skimpy clothing? As one author put it, it’s like “candles among gunpowder.” To most guys, an immodestly dressed girl is just as dangerous to their spiritual walk as fire burning near gunpowder is to their physical lives. There is a temptation for girls to fit in, to dress in trendy styles, and I realize that you may be tempted to say, “This is what my friends wear, and I don’t want to look weird.” I know what peer pressure is like. I know what it’s like to have to say no to something. I also recognize that I’m asking you to do something that does not fit with society’s ideals. But all I know is what the Bible says, and it says that we are holy people, we’re sanctified, set apart, a peculiar people. God cares about the way we dress, and He has commanded us to dress modestly.
I want to deal with this “candles among gunpowder” issue. It could be that you’re not trying to turn heads. You might be like, “I’m not really trying to cause my brothers to stumble, I just wear what I think is cute.” You might be innocent in motive, but it can still be inappropriate. Too many girls are innocently unaware of the affect they can have on their Christian brothers. Look at Romans 14:21, “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine or to do anything by which your brothers stumble.” My question is: are you concerned with us, your brothers, stumbling? If you are truly concerned with helping us stay focused on God, please, please, please put thought into what you wear!
There are hundreds of guys, myself included, who have made Job’s covenant. Job chapter 31:1 says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” Could you not make it a little easier on us? Could you not help us with this covenant? Wearing immodest clothing is like wearing bright neon signs around the the very thing we cannot look at. Are you concerned with our edification, or are you concerned with getting attention from us?
I like to use the illustration of David and Bathsheba. David sinned with Bathsheba. When I use the following illustration I am not letting David off the hook. He sinned and he was at fault in God’s eyes. But I would like to pose this question: What in the world was Bathsheba doing bathing on the roof?! Why in the world was she bathing, apparently, where David could view her? There is one of three possibilities. She was either 1) trying to seduce David, 2) innocently unaware that she could have this affect on David or any other man who saw her (naïve/ignorant), or 3) acting within her culture. Whether or not she was consciously trying to seduce David, was innocently unaware, or was going with the flow of her culture, I dare say that if she had put three ounces of thought into this action, things might have turned out differently.* I’m asking that when you get up and stand before your closet in the morning, put three seconds worth of thought into how you might affect your Christian brothers, and things may turn out differently in your life as well as in the lives of your brothers.
Bathsheba apparently didn’t think about it. Candles and gunpowder. It takes time and thought to dress modestly. Thoughtlessness is an explosive danger. If you are consciously putting thought into your wardrobe and are trying to clothe yourselves in a way that is appropriate – on behalf of every Christian man, thank you so much! If you do not consciously consider what is appropriate to wear or are ignorant of the facts, I hope to make you aware of those facts and maybe you can start thinking about it when you get dressed in the morning. If you are consciously trying to seduce those around you by the way you dress, please stop! It doesn’t help anybody and is, in fact, sinful.
Something that is done quite a bit in churches, and I wish it wasn’t, is something that is shoved under the banner of “Christian liberty.” I once visited a youth group in Oklahoma, and we had a great class. They separated the girls and the guys, put us in groups of five and presented a lesson on purity. We got back together afterwards, sang some songs, and then they announced that they were having a beach party the next Saturday. I was like, Okay, you’re having a beach party this weekend right after we had a class on purity? So I asked the teacher after class, “What are they allowed to wear?”
“What?” he asked, slightly confused.
“I mean the girls. Is there some kind of dress code for them?”
“Well, they can wear whatever they want to wear. It’s their Christian liberty. There’s nothing the Bible says about wearing a bikini.”
I was thinking, Yes, that may be their Christian liberty, if you want to push it that far. That may not send them to Hell, but what about protecting their brothers in Christ? Look at 1 Corinthians 8:13, “Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.” Where is that principle when you put on something that draws the eyes of your brothers to your body? It takes great concern for your brothers in Christ to dress modesty. I wish that all would concern themselves with this issue. I wish that everyone would ask themselves these three things when they get up to dress every morning. 1) Are my parents going to be honored by what I wear? 2) How am I representing my family? And 3) How am I representing my God?
I wish that all girls would concern themselves with the edification of guys, with helping them out. It would be appreciated by many guys, including myself. We may not say anything directly to you about the way you dress, but guys do notice when you dress modestly, and we do appreciate it very much.
Moving on to the guy’s responsibility. Many of these principles apply to girls as well, but I think we guys have more of a problem with dressing to rebel and dressing to boast. Now, we do dress to attract, but dressing to rebel and boast is, I think, a bigger issue for us. Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise) so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” Consider how dressing in a rebellious way is dishonoring to your parents. Your parents know that how you dress at school represents their family, and you need to honor them in how you dress. If your parents don’t want you wearing something, don’t wear it. If they are not 100% okay with what you put on, don’t wear it. Ask them, “Is what I’m wearing honoring to you?” Don’t say, “I know you don’t totally approve of what I am wearing, but please, please, please let me wear it!” Don’t whine and get them to let you wear it. That might be obedience in some weak form of the word, but that is not honoring. I am not here to dictate your wardrobe, that’s your parents’ job. Are you okay with letting your parents sort through your clothes? Are you willing to tell them that they can go through your closet and take out whatever they want, put it in a bag, and throw it away? Tell them that you don’t even want to know about it, you just want them to take out what they don’t like. If you’re not willing to do that, you’re probably not dressing modestly and in a God-honoring way. Like I said, you may have persuaded your parents to let you wear something, but if they are not 100% okay with it, it is not honoring – don’t wear it!
Another big guy issue that I’m going to talk about in more depth: Dressing to boast. Guys do this a lot. We do need to dress presentably. Whereas one guy might dress immodestly in rebellious clothes, another might dress immodestly by spending too much time and money on his appearance in order to boast. There is some relativity in dress from culture to culture. For example, pants for girls is immodest in most of Ghana, Africa. But how much do we change with culture? How different are we supposed to be? Are we to be so radical that we look like we came out of the middle ages? Where do we stand? There is relativity in our dress, and we need to honor the situation. We need to not boast in our dress. This includes every generation of men [and women]. There is also relativity from congregation to congregation. In some congregations every man wears a suit and tie. Some places have the preacher wear jeans and a T-shirt. We are talking about honoring the situation with our dress, which means showing up at a congregation in what is acceptable. To show up in shorts at a congregation that expects a suit would be rebellion with your dress. That’s like saying, “God doesn’t say I have to wear a suit, they can’t tell me what to wear.” That is the wrong attitude to have. But to show up in a “jeans and T-shirt” congregation wearing a tuxedo? That would also be wrong. It would be boastful about what you can afford. If the situation doesn’t dictate you wear a tuxedo, you could be boasting with your dress when you wear it.
If your motive for wearing something is to draw undue attention to yourself, you are being immodest. “Look at what I have, look at who I am, or look at how good I look,” is immodest. It’s an issue of motive. I hope by now you see that modesty is a heart issue. Your clothing is merely an expression of the state of your heart, whether rebellious and boastful, or humble and submissive.
Adapted from a Sermon by Spencer Newburn
* I just wanted to add one more possibility to Spencer’s observations about Bathsheba. It is possible that she had done everything she could think of to remain modest. Perhaps she had carefully chosen a time when she thought no one would be around, that she had consciously tried to find a place where no one would see her and yet David happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. If this was the case the guilt would be on David, not Bathsheba. You may make every effort to dress modestly but find that some men just don’t care about staying pure in thought and that some men may look at you in inappropriate ways no matter how you are dressed. If you are dressed modestly and are acting discreetly, then the guilt lays at the feet of the man who takes no care to check his thoughts. You are innocent if you have taken care to find clothes that do not suggest evil, but truly proclaim purity. God looks at the heart and judges accordingly. ~Brittany
Technically Difficult
30 Mar 2010 2 Comments
Sometimes life is so hard. It’s full of illness, disaster, disappointments, broken promises, failed relationships, and temptation. There are so many things that need to be done, and so many things we would rather be doing. There are times in my life when I feel like giving up on everything, just curling up in bed and never leaving the comfort of my blankets ever again! But then I realize that usually what I’m upset about, in comparison with eternity, is really a very small struggle. Once I realize this, I am not just able to drag myself out of bed, I am able to jump up and energetically face the day knowing that the Lord is in control and I am here to serve Him.
Life is hard. There’s no getting around that fact. But for Christians, life is not just about the daily grind, or about simply surviving the difficulties – it’s about living an abundant life for Christ. We do not have to look at obstacles and think, “Here we go again. I wonder if I’ll make it this time.” We are able to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and I want to figure out how I can best glorify God in this trial.”
As Ashlyn said in a previous post, knowing this fact does not always make every trial easy to bear. But when we realize that we really should “consider it pure joy” when we face struggles, we just might come to see that ninety percent of what we worry about isn’t really such a big deal. When we stop focusing on ourselves and how we feel in certain situations, and start looking for ways to help others and to praise God we will begin to see that, though a situation may technically be very difficult, it is also an immense joy to allow Christ to work in our lives through these times.
2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
~For Him, Miss Brittany N.~
A Friendly Reminder
18 Mar 2010 1 Comment
Today I’ve been thinking about friendships and how they can be so encouraging, fun, and uplifting but how they can also be damaging, frustrating and a whole lot of work. Some friends stick with you through thick and thin, some come and go, others try to bring you down. As one of my best friends puts it, friends come into your life for a reason, for a season, or for good. God brings some people into your life to teach you a lesson. Others He brings to you for only a short time. Still others, God intends you to be friends with for life.
Good friendships are based on God’s foundation. A friend loves at all times. A friend sticks closer than a brother. A friend keeps confidences and does not gossip. It’s funny how easily we forget to put into practice the simple principles we were taught in Kindergarten which will help keep friendships strong.
“Share.”
Friends share things. Toys, experiences, new gadgets, thoughts and feelings. Remember when you learned as a child to be fair? That principle still applies whether you’re nine, nineteen or fifty-nine. Be fair to your friends and don’t always be the taker in the relationship. Friendships are about giving to each other. You will only get out of a friendship what you put into it. To have good friends, you have to be a good friend and be willing to share whatever you have. “And all those who believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.” (Acts 2:44-45).
“No tattling!”
Sometimes it is necessary to tell another person if your friend is doing something wrong. However, spreading information about your friend just for the sake of having something to say is called gossip, and gossip is a sin. It doesn’t matter whether what you’re saying is true or not. If it is something your friend would not want someone else to know, you need to keep that information to yourself. More on that in a future post. “A perverse man stirs up dissension and a gossip separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28).
“Let others go first.”
Don’t continually put yourself ahead of your friends. Be more concerned about other people than you are about yourself – even if that means being the last one through the potluck line :) “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3).
“Don’t do something just because everybody else is doing it.”
We live in a world where the complaint “but everybody else is doing it” seems to fly from every teenager’s mouth at one time or another. And every mother seems to reply, “If everyone else were jumping off of the Empire State Building, does that mean you should jump too?” (or some variation of this). If your friend is doing something wrong, you have to be strong enough to stand up to her. God does not want us to simply go with the flow. We are Christians, transformed by the blood of Christ into His image. We have no business going along with the world. It is our job to stand up for Christ and His Word. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).
So there’s your refresher course on what you learned about friends when you were a kid, and what we should all put into practice in our friendships every day of our lives.
For Him,
Miss Brittany N.
On the Road Again
19 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
I was out of town again last week and returned home only to get sick. Same song, second verse, right? Lately I seem to be always out of town, and always returning home ill. Anyway, that’s my excuse for not posting an article in the last couple of weeks. But not to worry, there are more articles coming soon! The third part of Ashlyn’s series on patience will be posted next week, and I’m working on writing a series on being a Stay-At-Home daughter to be posted…. whenever it’s done :)
Just wanted to share with you today a passage that has been on my mind. Romans 12:9-13, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (ESV).
Great (and convicting) words to meditate on!
For His Glory, Miss Brittany N.
Childish Prayers
19 Jan 2010 2 Comments
One evening recently I was sitting in the 6th grade classroom at church preparing some lessons for Camp Commit. I absentmindedly gazed at the white board while thinking about my topic, not really paying attention to what was written there until I noticed the brightly colored words at the top: Prayer Requests. Curious, I scanned the list. There were the usual requests for sick family members and safe travel over the holidays, but there were many other requests there that got me thinking. Prayers such as, “May I please get ballet lessons; please let me be allowed to go to the mall; please let my parents change their minds about letting me see this movie.”
The majority of things up there struck me as both amusing and a little baffling. My first thought was, What are we teaching our kids? Do they see God as some sort of genie in a bottle? Can they really not think of any more pressing concerns than, “I really wish I had a puppy”?
On the other hand, these kids were showing their belief that God cares about every detail of their lives, even things that most adults would consider to be matters too trivial to bring before the Lord. While I do believe we need to be careful about what we ask for and not think of God as a sugar daddy or a vending machine, there to give us whatever our little hearts desire, I also believe that we should realize how many things could turn out differently if we would just remember that God does care about the small things. We need to have a heart like these children, fully trust in the Father’s power.
The principle to remember is that as we grow closer to God, our desires will reflect His priorities. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psalm 34:4-5). Our little concerns and decisions should reflect our greater desire to please God in all we do. Notice that the verse says that if you trust God, are committed to Him and delight yourself in Him, He will fulfill the desires of your heart. If we are committed to God, we will want what He wants, and God will rejoice to fulfill those desires.
“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:28). So, yes, we need to be sure and teach our kids what the important things are in life and what God’s values are, but we should also learn a lesson from them about letting God in on every part of our hearts, and being thankful for even the smallest blessing.
All For Him, Miss Brittany N.
How to Have a Great Year!
04 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
Disclaimer: I understand that there are circumstances that can cause life to seem exceedingly difficult and I am in no way trying to downplay the fact that certain obstacles exist and act as if your problems are insignificant.
First, to be truly happy, I believe one needs to find contentment. Contentment is not something you just walk into. It is in fact, a choice. A difficult one, but a choice nonetheless. Whatever it takes, force yourself to be optimistic about where you are now. I am not trying to suggest that you become complacent in your contentment. Never become content in circumstances you know that God would not want you to be in. Of course there are times you will need to rise above what you have fallen into. I am simply saying that in the times in which you wish you were someone or somewhere else in life, count your blessings and make the most out of what you have. God is with you and He knows exactly what you’re going through. If you feel He is not hearing your prayers, just remember that He has a plan for you and He will bring forth that plan in His time. Remember Jeremiah 29:11. God’s time is not our time. I’d trust His plan any day over mine. Think of how much more knowledge God has than we have and take comfort in that. Isaiah 55:8 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
~Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. –Proverbs 3:5, 6~
Secondly, remove selfishness from your heart. Selfishness will make you the most miserable person you could possibly be and will send your life spiraling. So many times, we let it creep into our lives unnoticed. I know I have been guilty of it. We have to constantly be on guard against it. Philippians 2:3 advises us, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves “. When someone is selfish, they turn inward, and when someone turns inward, all they focus on is what they want which often leads to discontent. As we saw above, discontentment also pulls you down. When you really think about it, selfishness is the root of most every sin that is ever committed. Scripture shows us that. James 3:16 reads, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” As soon as we obliterate selfishness, we are on our way up and on to a better more fulfilling life.
Lastly and most importantly, to have the most wonderful, meaningful life you can have, develop a deep love for and relationship with God. No one will ever love you as much as the Lord always has and always will. He made the ultimate sacrifice for you and me (John 3:16). Another proof of His love is that He gave us His perfect Word, which tells us how we can find eternal salvation. Many times, the problem with people is that without meaning in their life, they fall into hopelessness. The Bible gives us the meaning of life: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” –Ecclesiastes 12:13. Make this your goal and you will have a fantastic year! God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. Seek Him, and I guarantee things will start looking up and you will have the year you are hoping for.
It really comes down to what your attitude towards God and life is. You will make or break your relationship with Him and as a result will make or break your year. The choice is yours. I hope these suggestions will help you to have a year filled with hope and abundant blessings!
Wait on the Lord and Do Good
19 Oct 2009 2 Comments
Psalm 37 has always been a comfort to me in regard to waiting on the Lord. When I’m anxious to hear news, or when I am waiting for God to show me what to do in a particular situation, this chapter provides the instruction I need, such as in verse three, “Trust in the Lord and do good.”; verse five, “Trust Him also, and He will do it.”; verse seven, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”; and verse thirty-four, “Wait for the Lord… and He will exalt you to inherit the land.”
Recently, while reading this passage, I was struck again by the blessing of waiting on God instead of rushing ahead. He promises us that He will take care of things if we will wait patiently for Him. Though the temptation is strong to figure things out for ourselves and to make quick decisions, we need to be sure that we are always seeking God’s will first. It is not enough to simply pray, “Lord, show me what to do,” and then go out and do what you wanted to do anyway. Neither does it do any good to pray, “Lord, I’m going to do this, please let it be Your will.”
Too often we don’t take the time to wait on God. Instead, we stumble through life hoping that we’re doing His will, asking Him to bless us even though we haven’t taken the time to ‘Be still and know’ Him. Proverbs chapter 16 tells us over and over that the way of man seems right in his eyes, but in the end it is God who decides what will happen. God weighs our motives, He sees our hearts, and He knows what is best for us. We must commit our ways to Him and wait for His judgment.
Waiting on God does not mean we sit around doing nothing. Sometimes waiting for Him does mean simply being still, but I think more often we need to get back to work. After laying your problem at the Lord’s feet, let it go and get back to doing what you KNOW you need to be doing. Interestingly, while Psalm 37 does tell us to wait, it also contains many statements about what we should be doing while we wait. Verse three, “Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”; verse four, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”; verse seven, “Do not fret.”; verse eight, “Cease from anger and forsake wrath.”; verse twenty-seven, “Depart from evil and do good.”; and verse thirty-four, “Keep His way.” These are things we can be working on while we wait on the answer from the Lord.
Above all, remember that it is foolish to rush into things. Take the time to consider each issue before you act. Judge righteously and wait on the Lord. Psalm 37:8 warns, “Do not fret; it leads only to evil doing.” When we worry about things, we are more likely to begin to think that we must decide what to do quickly, which means that we are more likely to do something wrong. Be patient and wait on the Lord, do good and trust in His goodness. He has plans to prosper you, not to harm you, so seek His will and wait for His answer, no matter how long it takes.
For Him,
Miss Brittany N.
A Titus 2 Challenge
13 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
Sorry it’s been a while since I last posted anything. Life just gets crazier and crazier! Here are some thoughts from one of the many Titus 2 women I know:
Have you ever taken the time to ponder the difference between men and women? I don’t mean the obvious physical differences, but the different mental and emotional make-up of the two? Although both man and woman were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), and have equal worth in the eyes of their Creator, God designed each sex with unique attributes, meant to beautifully compliment and complete the other.
As we well know, man was created first (1 Tim. 2:13), and woman was created for the man, not man for the woman (1 Cor. 11:9). This plan of God was set into place before sin entered the world; it was not a punishment! Think about the honored position in which God has put us: He has commanded husbands to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church; so much that He was willing to die for us. Instead of trying shake off this position, women ought to embrace it, be thankful for it, and live in such a godly manner that makes our husbands eager to love us with the highest form of love possible.
Ladies, Titus 2:4-5 puts a challenge before us. There is a list of attitudes and actions that we need to emulate in our lives. In fact, these are of such a serious nature, that if we do not practice these things, we give the world an opportunity to blaspheme the Word of God. Older women, who presumably have had years of experience and have spiritually matured in these areas, are admonished to teach these things to the younger women.
Just what are these attitudes and actions that are so important?
• Love your husbands: As you have likely heard before, the Greek language has a number of different words which are used to get across different ideas related to love. In this particular passage, the word philandrous is used. This is the only place this word occurs in the New Testament, and it carries the idea of being affectionate to our husbands. Yes, this is something that does not always come naturally, but needs to be taught and learned. Wives, you are not the only ones who need to be treated with tenderness and affection!
• Love your children: Many women do have a natural love for their children, but sadly, all do not. Additionally, there is much more to raising children than changing diapers and providing meals, and giving children an education. In a world where so many parents come from dysfunctional homes themselves, we desperately need older women, who are mature in the faith and have already demonstrated the ability to bring up children in the Lord, to teach young mothers how to biblically love their children.
• Self-control: Women need to exemplify self-discipline and restraint in every area of life. We must present ourselves as women of dignity, with a quiet strength.
• Pure: This word gives the idea of innocent, modest and clean – not clean as in just had a bath, but clean or pure in heart. Although it’s not the only way, one of the most obvious ways that a woman reflects purity is the way in which she dresses. How you adorn yourself makes a loud statement regarding your godliness, or lack thereof. Sometimes it is difficult for women to comprehend how the male mind works. This is true in many areas, but particularly in the way in which a man’s passions can be stirred. Ladies: if you dress in such a way that every detail of your shape is revealed, you reveal any part of your cleavage, you bare your back, your undergarments can be seen through your clothing, or your legs above your knees are showing, then you are sending a message. You are sending the message that you do not care about helping men resist the temptation to lust in their hearts. (see Matt. 5:28). On the other side of the spectrum, women also reveal their hearts by their speech, including the way they talk about the opposite sex. To refer to guys as “hot” and other similar adjectives does not reflect purity of thought.
• Workers at home: In the Greek, it literally means one who watches or keeps the house. A careful word study will show that various words closely related to the word in Titus 2:5 for “workers at home” all indicate that the woman is to manage the affairs of her household, and the realm of her work is “at home.” The Scriptures make it clear that the younger women need to be taught that the place of the wife’s work is her home, so that she can properly care for the needs of her family. It’s amazing how many Christians have swallowed the world’s rationale, and search for new interpretations in order to justify their own desires.
• Kind or Good: Goodness is one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Gal. 5:22,23. A godly wife will direct goodness towards her husband and children, as well as to others. It seems too often that we go the second mile to be kind to others, but yet when we come home, we leave our kindness at the front door. The worthy woman of Prov. 31 did good and not evil to her husband, all the days of his life (vs. 12).
• Submissive to husbands: 1 Cor. 11:3 clearly explains the order of headship: God, Christ, man, woman. Yes, both man and woman have been created in the image of God, but there is a definite chain of authority which we do not have the freedom to break. This not only includes submission in action, but in attitude as well. Little good will submission do if we do it begrudgingly. A wife must learn to willingly submit to her husband in all things, unless he asks her to sin. In this case, the wife has the obligation to obey the higher authority, Acts 5:29.
Living your life as a help-meet to your husband, demonstrating the qualities listed in Titus 2:4,5 is the only way that you will have the kind of marriage that God intended. When we, as wives, practice these things in our lives, we glorify Christ and we do not give the world an opportunity to point a finger at us and speak evil of the Word of God.
By Joy Jensen
Talented for God’s Glory
15 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
Exodus 4:1-2, “Then Moses said, ‘What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.” The Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ And he said, ‘A staff.’”
How many times have you felt that the Lord wants you to do a certain thing that you feel unqualified to do? Like Moses, I often find myself asking God, “What if they don’t listen to me? Is this even something You really want me to do?”
Moses held in his hand a staff. Nothing spectacular, nothing glamorous or awe-inspiring, just a simple wooden staff used to herd sheep. I’m sure Moses never expected that God would use this simple tool to prove Himself to Pharaoh, but the Lord has a way of using things that we would consider useless in order to accomplish great things.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”
So many times in Scripture God chose men and women who no one else would have considered worthy to do His work. But even though we know that God chose murderers, adulterers, liars, thieves, and men full of pride and arrogance in the Bible, for some reason we often have a hard time accepting the fact that God wants to use each of us. We think we have to be great men and women before God can use us, but in reality the fact that God does use us despite our failures makes us great in His sight. Just as God used Moses’ simple staff, we too have possessions and talents that God wants to use. Your talents and special abilities are given to you for a reason and God has a purpose for each and every one of them. He does not hand out useless talents otherwise we would not be able to use every part of our lives for Him. In everything we do we are to bring glory to God, so if God gave you a talent, He has a plan for you to use it to His glory.
If you have a talent for sports, use it as an opportunity to witness to your teammates and coaches. If you are a talented singer, perhaps you could bless people in a nursing home who are craving social interaction. If you don’t think you have any talents, rest assured that God has given you something you can use for His glory, and in order to discover what that is, you have to try different things. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or to look silly as you try to find out how you can best serve God with your talents and skills. When others compliment you on what you have done, always point them to God, making sure that they know it is for His glory and by His strength that you are able to do these things. Whether it is a talent for sports, crafts, cooking or even a talent for entertaining, make it your ambition to develop each skill and find a way to use it to spread the gospel of Christ.
All For Him,
Miss Brittany N.
Using Your Time Wisely
31 Aug 2009 2 Comments
Over the last few weeks I have focused a lot of time and energy on finishing projects that have been much neglected over the years; things such as cross-stitching, Scrapbooking, sewing, decorating, and carpentry. These are things that I started years ago and then forgot about or got too busy to finish. Now that I have graduated High School and have become a devoted Stay-At-Home Daughter, one of my goals has been to complete these projects. Because most of my time has been spent on these tasks lately, several things crossed my mind. First, knowing how much time these projects can take up, I had to ask myself the reasonable question: Am I using my time wisely?
Ephesians 5:16 says to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. We only have so many hours in a day and so many days in our life. No one knows just how long our lives will be, so we must use every available moment to do the things God desires us to do. Since we simply do not have enough time to do every little thing we would like to do while keeping up with all our responsibilities, we must make choices about what we will spend our time on. Using your time wisely means first seeking God’s guidance in what He desires you to do, then, through prayer and godly counsel, deciding which projects are the most important.
It is not a wise use of your time to work on projects if you are neglecting other more important responsibilities and it is not a good use of your time if the project is useless, or if it is only for selfish gain. This forces me to consider something else: What is my motive in doing this specific project? It could be a perfectly acceptable project but, if done with the wrong motives, it is not something I should spend my time doing. For instance, cross-stitching could either be a selfish pursuit done only so that I can gain praise and admiration, or it could be something I do to bless others – as a gift or service to others. Like so many other things in life, it all comes down to an issue of the heart. We must continually check our hearts to be sure that no selfish or evil motives reside there. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit…” Philippians 2:3.
If you can determine if something is a wise use of your time you will avoid any guilt associated with wasted days. I sometimes find myself feeling guilty for working on projects I enjoy, but if I step back and ask myself if it is something God wants me to do then I can proceed without guilt (or give up the project if it is not in accordance with God’s plans). I think many people tend to have this absurd notion that if we enjoy something, it’s probably not what God wants us to be doing. Granted, there are many things Christ calls us to do that are simply no fun, but there are also things He asks of us because He knows we enjoy them. Projects you enjoy are not necessarily things God doesn’t want you to do, just be sure you are doing them in His timing. I did not have the time to spend on certain projects when I was in school, but now that I’ve graduated I believe it is time for me to finish the things I had previously started.
When trying to decide if something is worth doing, you should consider several things; first and foremost, whether or not it is a godly activity. You must also consider the amount of time it will take, the motive behind doing it, whether or not you have other priorities that must be completed before you work on your project, and whether or not you can commit yourself wholeheartedly to finishing the task. Above all, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23
All For His Glory, Miss Brittany N.
