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Have You
Taken The Modesty Test Lately?
"All the rules of good behavior are
contained in that one word - modesty." - John C. Ryland
What is one Virtue that is
sorely missing in our society today?
We would have to agree that
Modesty is one of them.
Think about it for a minute! As you look around you, just how many
people do you know who are truly humble, unpretentious, proper,
inextravagant, unassuming, decent, pure, chaste, or virtuous? How many
of them happen to be Christians?
No matter where you turn - Hollywood, TV, Radio, the News Media, or the
Internet - you cannot help but conclude that we, as a society, are
suffering from an overexposure to the immodest, immoderate, improper,
extravagant, indecent, and licentious. Without realizing it, so many -
through carelessness - have allowed the standards of the world to affect
their way of thinking and living, molding and shaping them after an
ungodly pattern.
What is needed - at this crucial hour - is for the Church to become
totally engrossed in the Truths of God's Word to the extent where they
mold and shape her entire lifestyle after godliness. It's time that she
separates herself from all that is unholy and un-Christlike so that she
may be a perfect reflection of her Master and not one that is marred or
tainted by the world.
The Holy Spirit is calling His Church back to Modesty - freedom from all
conceit and vanity as well as propriety in dress, speech, and conduct(Webster's
Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary).
The Lord Jesus is desiring a Modest Church and she, in answer to the
Call of the Spirit, is making the necessary changes to be pleasing in
His sight.
The Scriptures give several examples of Modesty.
Let's examine them now and see what valuable treasures of wisdom we can
glean from our study.
1. Modesty In Speech
1 Samuel 9:21 - "And
Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the
tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the
tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"
This is a perfect example of modesty in speech. Saul's answer to the
Prophet Samuel was devoid of any conceit or vanity. It displayed a
beautiful spirit of humility.
What about your conversation? Do others sense a spirit of humility when
you talk or conceit and pride?
Do your words portray that you are all caught up with yourself and
yours...that you are basically a selfish person who believes that the
world revolves around you...?
Or do you emphasize the grace of God being in operation in your life and
give all the Glory to Jesus for the different times that He has used you
to do something extraordinary?
2. Modesty In Conduct
Esther 1:11-12 - "To
bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the
people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the
queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his
chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth; and his anger burned in
him."
Vashti's name signified great beauty for she was indeed
"fair to look on." There was
no doubt about that.
But why would an attractive woman refuse her husband's command to appear
before him and the people? After all, this was a grand opportunity to
satisfy any vanity in her heart.
She refused the command of her husband because she wasn't vain. She
resisted the royal mandate because she was a chaste, prudent, and
honorable woman. She refused to sacrifice her virtue for a moment of
flaunting and pleasure.
It was a custom of the Persians that a woman was not to appear in
public. Didn't King Ahasuerus know the customs? Then why did he summons
her to appear before all at his feast?
The answer? Because he was drunk! He and all of his princes were
"merry with wine"(Esther
1:10).
Vashti realized that to present herself before such a crowd of drunken
men would subject herself to all kinds of lewd and obscene comments and
behavior. Rather than violate the rules of chaste decorum, she simply
refused, even at the cost of losing the crown and possibly her own life.
A question all men must ask themselves is this - How do you treat your
wife or daughters? How do you view the opposite sex? Have you ever been
guilty of exploiting the women of your home before others? Have you ever
made lewd comments about them in public which brought great shame to
their character and virtue? Do you honor and respect their dignity? Or
do you attempt to "show them off" before other
men? Through your daily comments, are you teaching your daughters to be
vain or modest? Do you stress physical beauty over the spiritual in
their lives?
In turn, the women need to ask themselves - Am I allowing myself to be
exploited before men? Do I sacrifice my virtue in order to get a
"look" from the opposite sex that will satisfy my
vanity? What kind of message am I portraying to the men in my life - my
husband, sons, boss, Pastor, etc.? Am I a woman of great modesty? Do I
want people to remember me for my physical appearance or spiritual? Am I
a woman of principle? Do men honor me for it? Through my lifestyle and
demeanor, do I draw men toward the things of the flesh or the things of
the Holy Spirit?
3, Modesty in Attitude
Job 32:4-7 - "Now
Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men,
then his wrath was kindled. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite
answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was
afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak,
and multitudes of years should teach wisdom."
"Now Elihu had waited..."
- Believe it or not! These are very powerful words.
You may ask - In what way? What significance can be found in waiting?
The answer is given in the last portion of the statement -
"...because they were elder than he."
Out of all of these men - Job and his three friends - Elihu happened to
be the youngest - "I am young, and ye
are very old..." Unlike most young men his age, he
showed a unique deference to his elders. Even though he was filled with
many words in answer to the discussion at hand, he restrained himself in
order to give preference to those who were his seniors.
"...wherefore I was afraid, and durst
not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitudes of
years should teach wisdom" - Even though he
perceived that his elders were wrong, he restrained himself from
interrupting in order to show respect. What modesty - what politeness -
what good morals and upbringing is demonstrated here!
How many young people today would display such patience in allowing
their elders to speak without interrupting with their vain comments and
opinions? Are you one of them? Do you show respect for those older than
you? Do you prefer them in your conversations? Or are you so opinionated
that you have no time to hear what
"Days should speak"? Do you have the attitude that
no one can teach you anything - especially those who are so "out
of touch" as the elderly in your lives?
4. Modesty In Apparel
1 Timothy 2:9 - "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; But(which becometh women professing
godliness) with good works."
So many have taken this Scripture and built a doctrine out of it which
says that a Christian woman should never wear gold jewelry, pearls, or
be dressed in "costly array"
- fine clothing.
Is this what the Apostle Paul was saying here?
Absolutely not!
His entire point in writing this - under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit - was to draw the Christian women's attention from gaudiness,
costliness, or extravagance in dress to modesty in apparel. Even more
important than that, he strove to emphasize the best ornament of all
that a woman could possibly wear; that is -
"good works."
It was the temple prostitutes who were wearing
"broided hair" filled with
gold in order to draw attention to their physical appearance. Paul
charged the Christian woman that they were not to follow their
example. They were not to strive to attract men's attention
through extravagance in dress. What was to be emphasized at all times
in their lives was to be the "good
works" that followed them.
Is this to say that a Christian woman should not care for herself or
desire to look presentable? No, not at all! In fact, just as an
overemphasis on the physical appearance is wrong, so is a neglect just
as wrong.
This Scripture is not advocating that Christian women should not try
to look and be their best - through eating properly, exercising,
losing weight, getting proper rest, gaining a necessary education in
order to enhance one's gifts and talents, etc. It is simply pointing
out that our emphasis must not be on the physical but rather the
spiritual.
Barnes' Notes offers us an excellent
commentary on this thought - "It is
not to be supposed that all use of gold or pearl or articles of dress
is here forbidden, but the idea is, that the Christian female is not
to seek these as the adorning which she desires, or is not to imitate
the world in these personal decorations...It is, that the true line
is passed when more is thought of this external adorning, than the
ornament of the heart. Any external decoration which occupies the mind
more than the virtues of the heart, and which engrosses the time and
attention more, we may be certain is wrong...It is a poor ambition
to decorate a dying body with gold and pearls....When the heart is
right, when there is true and supreme love for religion(Christianity),
it is usually not difficult to regulate the subject of dress."
J.E. Hunter adds this statement - "The
outward modesty which makes itself known in dress, is to be accompanied
by inward purity and chastity, since the former would otherwise be of no
account."
In our world today, there is so much emphasis
placed on the physical. Sad but true, this same spirit has crept into
our churches. Oftentimes, Sunday morning is not a Worship service but a
fashion show.
How can we put a stop to this? How can we, as Christian women, turn this
mindset around?
Through the Power of the Holy Spirit, we can seek the Lord for His
Wisdom in carrying ourselves in a modest manner, allowing the beauty of
a meek and quiet spirit as well as a pure heart and holy life to
outweigh any physical attractiveness.
May it be that others will see in us the beauty of the Anointing of the
Holy Spirit that we wear so well for the glory of the Lord Jesus! May
the men of the world recognize that we, as Christians, are far more
attractive than the worldly women because of our modesty in dress.
The Holy Spirit is calling
the Bride of Christ to Modesty.
The Lord Jesus is coming back
for a Modest Bride - modest in speech, conduct, attitude, and dress.
Are you numbered among those who are making themselves ready for
that Great Wedding Day?
Have you taken the Modesty test lately?
Judging from the
material presented in this message, how do you score?
May God Bless His Word.
Connie
| © COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved
