I realized the other day that it has been a year since we had that guest post (you can check that out here if you'd like!). It hadn't seemed like that long ago! Well, today we're remedying that because Mrs. Heather Ebron has agreed to do one for us! This was a lesson that she shared with the teen girls in our youth group. It touched me and honestly helped me gain a new perspective of modesty and what that really means. I thought that y'all might like to hear the things that she shared with us too, and she graciously agreed to write the lesson for us! First, I'll let you meet her, and then we'll get on with what she has to tell us. Our Price, Our Potential, Our PresentationI take a final spin in the mirror… I critique my image reflecting back at me one more time…-ahh (happy sigh), I love it! It's the outfit that gives the feeling of conquering the world, that puts a skip in my step, and makes me feel extra cute :) Oh come on, you have that favorite outfit too... Yes, our favorite outfit makes us feel beautiful, but as daughters of the King, we are clothed with a beauty more precious than rubies… "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." ~Pro. 31:10 Our PriceDear ones, when we realize our worth, it blossoms from the inside and shines through. “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” ~1 Cor. 6:15-20 Wait, pause. Let that sink in. You, my friend, as a born-again child of God, are priceless! Do we remember this each and every day? God gave His only begotten Son that we might LIVE the abundant life through HIM! “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” ~1 Peter 1:18-19 I love being His. I can't imagine life without Him. But, it's up to us what type of woman we choose to be! Come along with me as we explore our Potential. Our Potential“Who can find a virtuous woman? …” “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that makes ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” It’s our choice what kind of woman we choose to be. God created us with a free will! “To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.” ~Pro. 2:16-17 Wow, Hold up. She had a choice!!!! She FORGOT the covenant of her God! She was raised right, yet when the crossroads came to her in life, she chose the broad way. Ouch. Do we realize our potential? That it is a choice we make even on a daily basis? Jesus says “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” ~Matthew 7:6 I think of the pearls in this verse as the loveliness and purity of virginity and womanhood. When we choose not to be virtuous on a daily basis, we cast our pearls before the swine, and in the end, it turns and ruins our life. It’s my choice what kind of woman I want to be. Vir·tu·ous adjective: virtuous having or showing high moral standards Colossians 3 gives us some guidance. 1: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." 5: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleaness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is idolatry." 10: "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" 12: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of merices, kindess, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" 23: "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." It’s up to us which potential we choose. One of virtue? Or one of forsaking the guide of our youth and forgetting the covenant of our God? It's a conscious decision we have to make every day; just like we “put on” clothes each day, we choose to “put on” the new man and mortify our sinful desires. Does anyone else inwardly sigh and think “it's so boring” when we think of modest clothing? I’ll be the first to admit I have for years! But hold up, before we get carried away on scrutinizing the hole of the donut, let's look at the donut with all the frosting, sprinkles, and yumminess, the Presentation of a virtuous woman! Our Presentation21 "She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.” ~Proverbs 31:21-22 The virtuous woman clothed her household in scarlet; her clothing was silk and purple! Wow, that doesn’t sound boring or old-fashioned to me! That sounds absolutely beautiful. 13 The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. Hmm, notice the “within”? Also, check out verse 4 of 1 Peter 3:3-4: 3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. The secret to modesty is our heart condition! We are told to keep our hearts with all diligence. Why? Because out of it, are the issues of life! 1 Timothy 2:9-10: 9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Notice again, it goes back to an inward action. “Shamefacedness and sobriety, women professing godliness.” Let's check our hearts, ladies; it is there we will find alllllll our struggles with this clothing issue! How do we know what is modest and what isn’t? Definition of Modest = results from purity of mind, unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the richest gem in the diadem of their honour. Not loosely or wantonly. The Bible tells us we have the Holy Spirit inside us that “he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,..” “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.” ~Proverbs 11:22 Definition of Discretion = prudence or knowledge; that discernment which enables a person to judge critically of what is correct and proper, united with caution. Men are visually driven Lamentations 3:5: “Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.” Proverbs 27:20b: "...the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Look at David in 2 Samuel 11:2-5: 2 “And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.” Genesis 34:2 2 “And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.” Matthew 5:28 28” But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Look up Leviticus 18 and read that chapter; there is a definite connection between nakedness and immorality. So, all of this sounds scary and intimidating like all the pressure is on us women. It’s not, but! We certainly have our part to play in our Presentation. Romans 14:13: “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” 1 Corinthians 8:9: “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” Let’s present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service! I’ve been married to my husband for 5 years now and we’ve grown a lot together. The more we love each other and the closer we get, the more I strive to please him and be the apple of his eye. We are the bride of Christ. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we want to please Him from the inside to the outside! Our wardrobe reflects our hearts. A simple, quick way to check yourself out... get a full-length mirror. Bend over in it and see what you see. Sit in front of it. Cross your legs in front of it. Look at your side view, etc. Make adjustments as needed and use discretion. Ask the Lord to help you. He will! Remember our Price, dear soul, then reflect on the Potential we’ve been given, and lastly, with confidence through the Lord, Present yourselves as a virtuous woman who is adorned from the inside out! Note: For those of you who were wondering about the questions I asked last week at the party and had y'all guess about... (If you missed that, you can check that out here!) Here are the answers! Clicking on the title of the post will take you to that post (in case you want to make sure I'm right or something :P)! Which blog post received the most comments? Without looking, what was the first post (besides the "Welcome" post) posted on the blog?
What did you think about this post? Is there anything that God has taught you about your price, your potential, or your presentation that you would like to share?
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