Why modesty?

What is modest? What is not? What types of dress “sits on the fence?” Which cross completely over? I don’t know about you, but these types of questions always seem to reappear in discussion in my house. My sisters and I have always tried to dress modestly. But this word, “modesty,” means different things to almost anyone you ask. Are pants modest for a girl? How high should the neckline of a shirt be? How long should the skirt be? Ask these questions to a group of Christian girls and most likely, you will receive as many answers and combination of answers as there are girls in the group. 

I am not even going to try and outline some kind of step-by-step guide to modesty in this post. Why? First, I do not have one myself. I still struggle over some of these questions. Second, I think the real issue here is not compiling a “never-fail, always follow” list of rules; instead I believe it is important to look at why the question of modesty is even important.

Why is it even necessary to consider if what we, as ladies, wear is modest? Does not Jesus, Himself, say ““Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, NKJV). Yes, Jesus did tell us not to “worry” about what we wear, but we still need to be mindful of it. As followers of Christ, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

This is the first reason why modestly must be considered. Before ascending back to Heaven, Jesus left His disciples with this exhortation, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” (Acts 1:8). We are Christ’s witnesses here on earth. Sisters, the way we dress and present ourselves is how the world will see Christ. I have often heard the phrase, “you may be the only Bible that someone reads.” Our actions, words, and yes, even appearance, needs to point others to Christ and the truth. We must, in all areas “glorify God.” Even the way we dress should bring glory to God and serve as a witness to Christ, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all [that means how we dress] to the glory of God,” (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

When you dress in the morning or shop for clothes, keep this in mind. Do not ask yourself, “is this shirt too tight?” Instead, look at from the point of “does this shirt glorify God?” Really, you might be thinking, how is that suppose to help with deciding what to wear? Does God even care? Yes, God does care, because as the above verses show, God desires us to be witnesses for Him and glorifying to Him in all areas of our lives, including our clothes. The shirt you are wearing now, does it allow others to see Christ, or does it point to yourself and highlight your “charms?” Remember Proverbs 31:30, states, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” We do not want the way we dress to make others focus on our appearance, instead it should allow the light of Christ to shine through.  

This is the first reason why modesty is important, however there are others. Over the next few weeks, I hope to share more on this issue. Sisters, I leave you today with the words of Peter, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4). 

Visions and times of waiting

It was so clear, so real. You could almost reach out and touch it. Before you was your life calling, your passion, your focus. God’s purpose for your life was right in front of you. You stood on the mountain with your Lord and all was displayed. No longer will there be doubt and confusion. Or so you thought; then…Monday came… and all of sudden, life was once again complicated, confusing and unclear.

How many times this has happened to me, I cannot even begin to recall. I can remember thinking, where did I go wrong? Did I misunderstand God? Was this vision not for me?

I have learned that often God brings us to the mountain and we are given a vision. Just as Jesus brought His disciples to the Mount of Transfiguration and they were able to see Our Lord in all of His glory (Luke 9:28-36). The Lord will bring His beloved children to a special place where deeper understanding and visions are seen. However, as Luke’s account records, after this occurred, Peter, James and John “kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen,” (v. 36). It took many years before this experience was shared with others. The disciples were granted the privilege of seeing the vision, but time had to pass and work had to be done in their lives before it was God’s timing for this vision to be shared and put to use.  Oswald Chambers writes, ”God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into its shape, and it is in the valley that we faint and give way while all the time God is wanting to get us to the reality.” We must not allow the second part of Chamber’s statement to come true in our lives. In the valley we must hold to the vision and have faith that God will use it in His perfect timing.

This vision can sometimes come in the form of a calling. Moses knew that he was to be the deliverer for God’s enslaved people. In Exodus 2:11-15, Moses tried to fulfill this calling in his own power. However, God’s timing and means were quite different from what Moses imagined. He was giving a vision, but he had to first spend 40 years in the wilderness tending another man’s sheep before God brought this vision to fruition.

Arthur Pierson writes, “The workman of God needs to wait on Him to know the work he is to do and the sphere where he is to serve Him.” God will give His servant a vision and then ask them to wait and trust as He prepares them for the fulfillment of this calling. This is something that is often difficult, especially for people like me who quickly become impatient. I see the vision and want to immediately get to work, roll up my sleeves and begin to serve the Lord. What could be more obedient than that, right?

Wrong! I must be willing to be patient, to wait, to walk through the valley, the times of training, of preparation.  Chambers writes, ”…God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get into the condition in which He can trust us with the reality of His recognition of us.” These can be hard days, there may be some, when the vision seems to faint, that we wonder if we just imagine it. I can guess there were times when Moses, sitting in the wilderness with sheep all around him, wondered if he really was the one to deliver the people. However, Isaiah 40:31 reminds us, “But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

“He who kept Moses waiting forty years before he sent him to lead out captive Israel, who withdrew Saul of Tarsus three years into Arabia before he sent him as an apostle to the nations, and who left even his own Son thirty years in obscurity before his manifestation as Messiah — this God is in no hurry to put other servants to work.” ~ Arthur Pierson 

Dear sisters, hold on to the vision the Lord has given you, trust that He is training and molding you into servant He needs you to be in order to fulfill this vision.

Wait on the Lord and only through the waiting will you be able to soar!

“Letting Go” again…

I was feeling very overwhelmed and discouraged tonight and was reading through some of my blog posts from my other blog (http://delightblog.wordpress.com/). It was encouraging to see some of the lessons that the Lord taught me, and some of them I feel like I am having to relearn. This is a blog posting from when I was writing while living in South Carolina, it speaks of allow God to have control and letting go. Lord, my prayer tonight is that I may once again let go and allow you to work Your perfect will. 

“Once again my commitment to giving my life over to God was tested yesterday. I thought that I had reached a point where I could say and live out “anywhere with Jesus” (as I wrote about the other day). But yesterday, I began to fret and worry (well really panic) about what that might mean. I had asked Jesus to show me where He wanted me to serve and to use me how He saw best. But my selfish flesh had come up with how I wanted this to look, but God may have other ideas in mind.

Some of these might not be ones that I particularly like. I had really wanted to go home and be with my family again, but this might not be God’s plan. The author of Hebrew also expressed the feeling that I was experiencing. In the final chapter he states, “Pray for us…but I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner” (Hebrew 13:18-19). Missing people and wanting to be where we are not is something that I think all humans experience. But we have to give these emotions over to God, following the advice that Hebrews offers, pray.

I am also struggling with being patient while waiting for God to reveal His plan. I trust that He will and that He will give me the strength to fulfill His plan, but the waiting can sometime be overwhelming. While reading today a quote of Lilias Trotter reminded me of unimportant time really is. “‘Time is nothing to God – nothing in its speeding, nothing in its halting – He is the God that inhabited eternity.’ And children of eternity “can afford to tarry His leisure no matter how short [their] time is” (from A Passion for the Impossible). In God’s timing He will ”make all things beautiful.” How great it is that we can rest in that.”

A Sacrifice of Praise

This thoughtful post was written by my sister, Erin. Every so often, she will be a “guest contributor” for this blog. The Lord has given her so much talent and a story that encourages me, challenges me and strengthen me through my own walk of faith. 

~~ * ~~  

The other week I was sitting at our worship service letting my mind drift through thoughts of worthless scenarios, allowing myself to become completely distracted. I had to work hard to return back to the present and focus on the songs that were being sung and the message that was being taught. It was a struggle.

There are other times when, even though my mind is not wandering through nothingness, I still do not want to focus. Have you ever been at this point in your spiritual journey where it just seems too impossible to sing one more verse or say one more amen? I know that I have experienced this many times. The point where the absolute last thing that I want to do is take my Bible out and read, or recite a scripture verse. Christ also knows that we come to these road blocks along our journey and He understands the effort it is to take our eyes off of ourselves and place them on our Heavenly Father. There are many times along the way where praise, in the form of scripture reading, a worship song or prayer, seems harder to do than anything else. It is at this point where it means the most to our Father, however. If we can offer up the sacrifice of praise to Him when it is the hardest step to take at that moment, it becomes a great blessing for Him. It is an amazing thing, though, not only does is bless God immensely, but it also sets us back on track, “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23, NIV). Sometimes life, in all of its pain, can leave you wanting only to give in to the whispers of this world that tell you God does not care; do not listen. Know that our ever loving heavenly Father will use the pain and sorrow as blessings. We must learn to praise Him through the pain.

So take courage, know that we have an understanding Father, who sees when it is hard for us and cherishes our praise all the more when we are willing to offer it up when our spirits are low. On our journey may we learn to follow Hebrews 13:15, no matter what our mood may be or what we may be feeling, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise; the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15, NIV).

 

Sacrifice of Praise

Thank you God for loving me,

Thank you God for sending your Son to set me free

We give you thanks in the midst of the storm,

We give you thanks when our hearts are worn.

 

We’re here to offer a sacrifice of praise, knowing that it’s not easy some days.

But that’s when it means the most to you,

If we can say thank you when the words are hardest to utter.

A whisper of thanks pleases you like no other.

 

Each and everyday we offer up our thanks, each and everyday we offer up our praise.

You are our Creator, Healer, Sustainer,

We are so thankful that you are our redeemer.

 

I’m offering up a sacrifice of praise, wanting to bless your wonderful name.

It is not easy but you’re seeing me through.

Oh Lord, I thank you!

 

When words escape me and thanks seems to drift away,

That’s when I must try harder to find the strength to say,

Thank you Jesus for holding me, thank you for helping me.

Lord, I offer you my sacrifice of praise.

                                                                         ~ E. Kelly

Everything thing in moderation…??

A moderate religion is as good for us as no religion at all — and more amusing.” ~ from The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

I have heard it said that “everything in moderation” or “moderation in all things” is a wise way to live. This may be true in some areas of life, but I believe that in more areas, especially in regards to our Christian walk, this is a very dangerous way to approach life. Were the First Century Christians moderate? In Acts the Followers of Christ were described as having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). That is the passion and zeal that we need exhibit in our lives. The Christians of the Early Church did not possess anything more than what our Lord gives us today, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind,” (2 Timothy 1:7). The early Christians had the same indwelling of the Spirit as we do today, and we should live in a manner that is worthy of this calling, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

I must admit, I am often guilty of living a “moderate” Christian life. There have been many times when I allow fear, lack of faith and pride to stop me from passionately serving my King and Abba Father. Satan will whisper lies and deceive us into thinking that we do not need to fully serve the Lord. “He has already asked for so much, really, you need not offer this to Him as well,” he will hiss into our ears. But Jesus warned us against not being willing to give up all and follow Him in Luke 9:57-62,

“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Then He said to another, “Follow Me. But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Christ must be followed wholeheartedly, moderation does not belong. When one is saved by grace through faith in Christ, Satan no longer has power over that person. He has lost that soul forever and this person is forevermore a child of the King. Yes, my sisters, we are forever and always daughters of the King. Nothing we do can make us more precious or less than what we became the day that we became a “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,” (Romans 8:17).

However, Satan will begin to attack you in another way. Now, he seeks to make you ineffective for Jesus here on earth. “Don’t forget the all the work that you must do,” he will chide, “There is the planning, the schooling, the social commitments.” He will distract you and use anything, even good things, to pull you away from fully being abandoned to the Lord’s will and plan for your life. He desires us, as C.S. Lewis cleverly showed in his book, The Screwtape Letters, that we are moderate Christians. We cannot listen to these lies, we cannot allow them to influence our thoughts and actions. Jesus Christ must be first and second and third and…Jesus Christ must be ALL. We must passionately serve our wonderful Master. Moderation, appropriate? Not, in our Christian walk.

 

Forks in the road

We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle and where all, if followed long enough, will therefore draw gradually nearer and finally meet at the center: rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those two again, and at each fork you must make a decision.” ~ from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.

I read this except this morning and immediately was struck by the truth that lay beneath these words. Society wants to believe that each person can “find truth” in their own manner and way. This fallen world too often rejects the words of Christ: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it,” (Matthew 7:13-14). They want to believe that there are many ways to heaven and God, but Christ clearly opposes this idea.

Dear sisters, as Christians, we must hold and cling to this truth. We cannot allow for compromise in this area. Jesus Christ is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him],” (John 14:6). If we are sisters-in-Christ, then we have chosen this way. We have acknowledged our need for a Savior and by grace through faith have been saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).

However, C. S. Lewis speaks of multiple forks in the roads. What are these? I see these as times in our lives where we can either choose to walk closer to our Lord and Savior, or keep our distance, “…and at each fork you must make a decision.” This morning, when you woke and got dressed, did you do so in a way that brings glory to God? Are you conversations throughout the day pointing others to your Lord? Are you choosing to spend quality time with Him or is Facebook claiming those hours? If we are going to serious about our walk and living as Daughters of a King, then we need to daily make choices that exhibit this. We cannot say with our mouths one thing and allow our daily lives to proclaim something else. Precious daughter of the Most High, live as though you love Him, live in a manner that shouts to this world that you are joyfully His. At each crossroad, make the choice and choose the way of Christ. As I write these words, I realize how much I need to work on living them out. Everyday I fail in many ways, but we serve a forgiving and loving Father, who although asks much, gives the strength to accomplish. Praise be to God!

A daughter’s view

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, “I will dwell in them, and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Therefore ”Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 (New King James version)

God says He will be my Father and I, His daughter. How beautiful this promise is:

The daughter of the Creator and Provider of the Universe 

My mind has trouble even comprehending how amazing and awesome this is. Daughter: what does it mean to be a daughter of another. When I think of my relationship with my earthly father, I can see a glimpse of what it means to be a daughter of God. I am my Papa’s daughter no matter what I do, it is not something that I have earned or can lose. My Papa gladly provides for me. He never has made me feel guilty when he works to place food for our table, clothes for my back, a house over my head and all of my other needs. He also is there when I seek advice, counsel and wisdom. He cares about my struggles and worries. He never tires of helping, providing and loving. My Papa also guides and instructs me. He has punished me, out of love, so that I can become more like the woman he knows I should be.

The Lord, our Heavenly Father, is an even more perfect Father. My Papa is human, so he makes mistakes and can let me down. “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11: 11-13, NKJV). He is more loving, a better provider, wiser, ever-patient and kind. He will chasten, instruct and guide. Making each of His precious daughters into beautiful a workmanship for His glory.

I remember one night, after getting off of work, I made a poor choice and went over for a game night with some of my co-workers. It was late, they were not believers. As the verse stated at the beginning of this post, “what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” I did not need or should have been spending so much time with unbelievers, “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (1 Corinthians 6:14). However, at this time in my life, I made the choice to ignore this truth and wandered down a dangerous path.

As I pulled into the driveway after what I considered, at that time a “harmless evening,” I noticed lights were still on. When I walked into the living room, there was my Papa, sitting there, waiting for me to come home. He talked for a while, expressing his concern for my actions. He was not angry, he just loving offered advice and counsel. He had wanted to spend the evening with me, watching football, talking, just spending some time together.  Instead I choose to spend time with others. I saw the hurt in his eyes as he told me this.

This story also reminds me of how our relationship to our Heavenly Father can be. He wants to spend time with us. He desires to be with us. Instead, so often we let worldly things distract us and keep us from that fellowship. I remember the sadness and concern on my Papa’s face and when I do, I think of how it must also grieve the Lord, when we do the same to Him. He is our Father and He wants to spend time with us.

My precious sisters, if you do not have this type of earthly example in your father, as many of you will not, rest assured, Our Heavenly Father is ever-loving. Read His promises and meditate on them. See His love and care in your life. Run to your Abba Father and rest in His arms. Like my Papa that night, He is waiting for you to come home and spend time with Him.

leaving all

“So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” Luke 5:11 (NKJV)

I am blogging again. This time with a slightly different purpose. My past blog was primarily a journal of the many different lessons I learned during a time when Jesus Christ was becoming my all and all. I remember posting at one point the lyrics to the song, Knowing You, “Now my heart’s desire is to know You more, to be found in You and known as Yours…” This was a desire that the Lord cultivated in my life through that time. It was my hope that all who read my post would see this and be encouraged through my words.

In this blog, I hope to speak to specifically young women and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. I hope to share stories, lessons and thoughts that I have had over the years and also new ones that the Lord continues to teach and bring into my life. I will be sharing with my readers the struggles, joys and lessons, as I seek to become a woman of God and live as a daughter of the King.

The Scripture at the beginning of this post is a good starting point. As I was reading Luke this morning, I could not help but notice this verse. It seemed to jump off the page as I read; loudly demanding my attention, as if to say, “Think about what these words mean. Are you willing to do the same?” And if I tried to ignore this plea, later in verse twenty-eight the same theme was found, “So he left all, rose up, and followed Him,” (Luke 5:28, NKJV).

Left all…forsook all, this is what Jesus asks of His followers, this is what they were willing to give. He does ask for some of our lives, or most of our lives, He wants all. He does not ask for some of our hears, most of our hearts, He wants all of it. He does not ask for some of devotion or even most of it, He wants all of it. His disciples were willing give this. I am I willing to do this? Am I willing to give all to Christ, to forsake all that I own, love and value to leave it at the feet of the One who gave up all for me?

Christ was willing to give up glory, splendor, comfort and Heaven itself for our behalf. Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross,” (Philippians 2: 5-8, NKJV). Why should we not do the same? I desire to leave all and follow my Lord and Savior. I want to truly live as a daughter of His and let all who see me know that I am His. As Paul stated, follows of Christ should “shine like stars” in this world (Philippians 2:15). And this process of shining begins with being willing to “leave all” behind.

Young ladies, I urge you to make the commitment to leave and forsake all. Yes: ALL. We must be willing to leave family, friends, popularity, fashion, and whatever else may take hold of our hearts. Examine yourself and find what still holds you. Whatever it may be, offer it to your King. He will give you so much in return; He already has. He may ask for obedience and sacrifice, but it is no more than he asked of His own Son. He has given eternal life, fellowship with Himself. He is preparing us a royal home and we should live is a manner worthy of this gift. Yes, my dear ladies, it may not be the easy road, but it is the sweetest. Leaving all behind for the One is gave so much, let us make that our life prayer.