1 Timothy 2:8-11 - So I want men
everywhere to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin and anger
and resentment. And the women should be the same
way, quiet and sensible in manner and clothing. Christian women should be
noticed for being kind and good, not for the way they fix their hair or because
of their jewels or fancy clothes. Women should
listen and learn quietly and humbly.
Paul continually reminds us that our focus is to be on God…not
the world. That means that if our focus
is truly on God…then our focus is also off ourselves. The message here is
simple….pray… and have a quiet sensible personality that focuses more on the
inner being that drives our servant heart…than the outside of the temporary vessel
God put us in to help him complete his plan for the world.
There are over 100 verses in the Bible that warn us of the
difficulties vanity piles onto a pure heart.
But the marketing world spends billions a year on ads that make a woman
feel like they should spend many hours of time and product enhancing the simple
structure God created us with. Some
religions ban such products completely from their member’s lives…others go
overboard with the “look your best” comments trying to convince that even jeans
are unacceptable in a worship venue. The result of both teachings turns more
people away from God than toward his love.
Paul is talking here about the need to be content in who we
are….all of the paleness without makeup…the scraggly hair without a speck of
product….or the t-shirt and jeans versions most would find you in if you did
not have to go out of your homes during the day. I am guilty….as usual...of thinking
I have to put on makeup….have just the right cut for my face shape…and the
newest outfit from the fashion store…. but God cares nothing about any of that.
1 Samuel 16:7 says it best for me. … “But
the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by a man’s face or height, for this is
not the one. I don’t make decisions the way you do! Men judge by outward
appearance, but I look at a man’s thoughts and intentions.”
I remember a discussion with my sister one Thanksgiving. She
wisely reminded me when I tried to give her a picture of me that had been made
after painstakingly being dolled up by professionals…which I was so proud of
because it…was the best picture of me I had ever owned…that the woman in that
photo wasn’t really her sister. She knew the real me….and knew that on a daily
basis I did not look that glamourous….not even close. I was not hurt at all by
her comment…but reminded gently that the real me had way more to do with my
heart that the way my outside looked.
Father…thank you for reminder that my focus should be on making
my heart as kind and gentle as I can.
Forgive me for the times that I have let the world trick me into
thinking that I am better when made up to look more glamourous… or dressed more
in the current fashion. Help me to always remember that you care more about my
heart than my looks…so I can be more content with who I am and ignore the world’s
standard of beauty. Amen.
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