Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Up here in northern Minnesota, a lot of people sure enjoy going fishing. A lot of us, including myself, like to use a fishing lure, which is an artificial bait designed to attract predatory fish. You can’t help but find all kinds of them, in different shapes and sizes in the sporting goods section at your local box store. Some of them are very real looking, and they mimic the appearance and movements of a real fish. They are designed to attract prey, adorned with bright reflections, flashy colors and shiny spinners which lures a fish to take notice them.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Unlike an expensive and shiny fishing lure that one might possess in their tackle box, Christian women are not to attract attention to themselves at all. A godly woman is supposed to be a plain woman, both in her attire and her shy demeanor.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 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.
First of all, to adorn something means to try to make it look more beautiful or attractive. For example, in certain homes, people might have plain white walls in their living room, but for some, it just isn’t enough for them. They want the room to stand out when people enter it, so they begin decorating the walls with expensive paintings or other fancy ornaments, so that people will stop and take notice. A woman who professes Christianity is supposed to be modest and plain, which means she avoids wearing anything that might cause other people to take notice of her because of her clothes, or the inappropriate lack of it for that matter. She is to possess an attitude of humility and decency, not only in the way she dresses, but in her grooming, her speech and her behavior.
There’s also a great difference between public and private matters. Marriage was created by God to avoid fornication and the bed is undefiled. Sexual desires and pleasures can be enjoyed with your spouse in private, but not expressed in a public manner. It is meant to be used in the bedroom, not to be paraded or displayed publicly to the world by sexually explicit clothing you might wear. Even kissing a spouse in an overly heated moment in public, can draw attention to what is meant for the bedroom only. You are not supposed to act in a manner that incites or might provoke others to sensual or sexual thoughts. When you do this, you are leading others into sin. After all, if you didn’t dress in such a manner, people wouldn’t have these feelings in their minds. Sexuality is meant to be used privately within the bedroom not to be displayed openly in public. A Christian woman is to wear shapeless, formless clothes that don’t reveal her figure or her physical sexual appearances.
A modest woman must be reserved, and not draw undue attention to themselves. In fact, some common synonyms of the word “modest” are chaste, decent, and pure. Modesty is completely void of what is lewd or salacious. Lewd meaning, suggestive of, or tending to moral looseness. A Modest woman must not appear publicly in a matter that shows, or is intended to excite, lust, sexual desire, or lasciviousness. Salacious is appealing to, or stimulating sexual desire in others. This is done through one’s appearance and behavior in public. The Christian woman is supposed to be bashful and shy, and must focus on displaying the qualities of inward beauty, such as a meek and quiet spirit.
1 Peter 3:1-6 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 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. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
The word shamefaced means extremely modest, shy and bashful. Some women are completely embarrassed to wear certain clothing that is too revealing because they are shy in heart. That’s a very good quality to possess. On the other hand, pride and vanity because of one’s looks and appearances need to be shunned. A truly modest woman who serves Christ, will focus on the will of God rather than the mirror. A modest woman who serves Christ will care more about prayer, than her hair.
Like a fishing lure, many women try to draw attention to themselves by wearing expensive jewelry or other trinkets, but the Christian woman will care more about providing for her own family, or others who are poor and need. Instead of decorating herself with costly items, people take notice of her because of her selfless kindness, devoting herself to winning others to the Christian Life through her tenderhearted deeds.
1 Timothy 5:9-10 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.
In Joppa, there was an example of a Godly woman who was filled up with goods works.
Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
Although we live in world that is preoccupied with the public display of the human body and it’s external features, Christian women are called out of the world. They are called to a transformation and a conversion from a worldly woman, to a Godly one. This is going to require a change, literally, beginning with the things that you wear in public. Granted all of us have lived the way that the world does at one time or the other; each of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but now through faith in Christ, and an allotment of His divine grace, we are called to a different function and purpose.
Any woman who professes to be a follower of Jesus Christ needs to shun any sensual appearances, in what she wears or how she acts, that might cause somebody else to be drawn to them, just like….
……The Fishing Lure
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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