Happy day after Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a great holiday and are continuing to enjoy all that God has blessed you with. I have really been focusing on what blessings I have in my life and giving God praise and thanksgiving for them. Praising God helps to lift our spirits and gives us a positive focus for our thoughts. This is Michele writing tonight and I feel so privileged to be with you again. We are focusing on 1 Timothy 2:8-15 today. Here is what jumped out at me:
And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. (v. 9-10)
Why do you think it was important for Paul to point this out? Maybe because all scripture is inspired by God and he knows women pretty well. After all, he created us! Why is it that so many women are obsessed with the way they look or what they wear? Isn't it a sign of security when you always look your absolute best and never show a single flaw? Actually, it's quite the opposite! Insecure women dress immodestly and constantly focus on how they look. If I'm secure in who God has created me to be, I will be secure in all situations. Regardless of what my outward appearance is.
Our culture encourages a way of dressing and appearing that is far from what is appropriate and tasteful. Just take a look at various high school youth and you will see that modesty is something of the past for many of our teens. It seems as if they all want to express themselves and be their own person, but they yet to know who they really are. Don't get me wrong, this is not only a problem for our young generation. I've seen many middle aged women who dress very inappropriately as well.
We need to decide if we want to try to measure up to society's image of who we are or if we would rather listen to our Lord and Savior and be a person led by his spirit and let that shine from us. His light is far more beautiful than any designer outfit one could ever purchase. When we are guided by his light and live our lives for him, we radiate. Now, that's beauty! Our actions will be directed by love and our hearts will be filled with joy. No more emptiness inside. And we will be women of God. The way we act speaks louder than what we look like on the outside.
As a mother of a very close friend used to say, "Pretty is as pretty does".
Lord, I want to be your daughter. I want to live my life in such a way that others can see you and think I'm beautiful because of that......not because of my outward appearance. Make my heart pure. Let your light radiate from me and lead others to you. You are my God and my King. Reign in my heart for the world to see! Amen
Michele, you indeed have both that inward beauty and outward beauty! As a man, I can say that no physical, outward beauty can make up for inward ugliness. There is no beauty that compares to that which radiates from a woman's heart. It's possible to flip to the other extreme and come to the conclusion that a person shouldn't do anything to enhance their outward appearance. That's not it, of course. It's a matter of emphasis. But in the end, what you see in the mirror doesn't ultimately define you. You are so much more!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post with the words I have tried to find! What a great word spoken!
ReplyDeleteThank you, both of you! God has made each and every one of us to be so awesome and unique. We need to always remind ourselves that we are God's masterpiece and he is so thrilled with his creation!!
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