-
Who can find a VIRTUOUS woman?
- Jul 20, 2009 at 8:50 PM
- By
- Comments (9) Total Views (200) Everyone can see this journal post.
This simple Bible question implies that it is NOT an easy find.
Here are some definitions of virtuous: Having or showing virtue, especially moral excellence, Possessing or characterized by chastity; pure -- applied especially to women
A chaste woman is a modest woman. God speaks of a woman mainting her chastity and purity by the clothes she wears. "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" 1 Timothy 2:9-10
God says that a woman's apparel should profess godliness. Her clothes, hair, and adornments - not just her mouth - make a loud profession to all who see her that she is modest & godly, or that she is immodest and ungodly. Our Heavenly Father has dress standards! Would you employ the standard argument & dismiss God as "legalistic" when he tells us that there is a proper way to dress and there is an improper way? Clothes speak to all who see us. Clothes make a constant profession. That is they declare out loud - drowning out our words - our true heart condition & our attitude toward ourselves & toward those who see us.
Jesus said that a lusting man commits adultry WITH a woman, not against her, meaning that the woman is included in the lusting adultry. Women say that they are "not convicted" about the way they dress, as if God has to chase them down & torment them about it before they will obey his Word. They say they are not going to be legalistic about it, even when God has clearly stated his will. The Holy Spirit convicts according to the will of God. If you are not convicted by the Holy Spirit for your immodest dress, then you are not being led by God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Romans 8:14 If you are God's child in more than just name, you will be led by the Spirit of God. If God is not leading you consistent with his Word, then you must face the fearful truth that you do not have the Spirit indwelling you. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his". Romans 8:9
Excerted from Created to be His Help Meet by: Debi Pearl
Women are to be discreet & chaste that the word of God be not BLASHPHEMED. Titus 2:3-5 Did you know that if you are NOT being discreet & chaste that you are actually blaspheming the Word of God???? If you didn't you do now.... "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin". James 4:17
How I appear to others rests entirely on me,
Whether good or bad, clean or not, whatever they may see,
By always dressing modestly, I'll show the world that I
Have self-respect and self-esteem and hold my head up high.
It's hard to shun the trendy clothes that those around me wear,
But I make Father proud of me when I dress like I care.
My parents and my teachers say that clothes are like a sign,
My clothing tells the world what I would have them think inside.
The clothes I wear around each day should show the best of me.
I'll show I'm trying hard to be the girl that I should be.
Poem by Amy Lincoln
In our success-oriented society, no one considers it odd if a corporation requires its employees to conform to a dress code. Why then should a church that teaches neatness and modesty for the purpose of honoring the holiness of God be considered narrow, restrictive, or legalistic? If we are to honor God in our hearts, it is consistent to honor Him with an outward dedication. 1 John 2:15 instructs us, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Surely then, we would be foolish to mirror worldly values in our appearance.
Christians who verbalize goodness and godliness but at the same time nonverbally declare sensuality and ungodliness destroy the effectiveness of their gospel witness. The primary purpose of many fashion designs is to exalt the ego, attract undue attention to the flesh, stir desires, and ignite passion in others, thereby appealing to the lust, of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which the Bible condemns in 1 John 2:16
The biblical alternative to legalism is not permissiveness or license but self-discipline motivated by grace, faith, love, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit. See: John 14:15, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, II Timothy 2:4-5, I John 2:3-6
http://www.modestyrocks.com/cfm.html
Our outward appearance is one way in which we are an unspoken witness of the transforming power of Christ. I'm sure some of you have heard the quote that says, "Be careful how you live, you may be the only Bible people read"?
Well, let me now take this journal one step further....
How do these verses relate to how we portray ourselves online? What does our profiles, signatures (aka "siggies"), graphics etc say about us as Christian women? Are you possibly inadvertantly blaspheming God's Word? What are your thoughts on this in relationship to real life vs. online?
Comments:
While many of us profess to be Christians, we are not possessing Christians. As a Christian I feel that the Lord wants me to walk worthy of Him in all areas of my life. Whether it is people who see me physically on a daily basis, or whether it is on the net. To me, I am to reflect the Lord, and if I am not portraying that on my page, or in my speech, or even how I act, I am not reflecting the Lord. If I am a Christian and have questionable things on my profile, I am not reflecting the Lord. I also become a stumbling block to others. I am always careful and guard my speech as well. Because you never know how you will affect others by what you say or what they see.
Thank you for this journal. It is an area that we as believers need to remember. Our dress should be a testimony of who we are.
My son who is a teen, mentions this a lot about the way women are dressing. This is happening in the body!
Thanks HINSON for your comment:
"Everything I do online is to show glory to God and him only cause its not about me and what my flesh wants its about JESUS AND WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO...I want women on this site to see my profile or hear me talk and know there is something different about her and i want what she has and i can lead them to the Lord... :)"
You are right! It is all for the glory of God!
so debbie... your telling me cause god is working in one area on one person.. and your currently convicted of something.. that you have the right to say she is not being led by christ..???
You mean to tell me you are going to tell god WHEN he has to start working in which area...??
You mean to tell me that you have the JOB EVEN OF DECIDING WHO GOD IS AND ISN'T SPEAKING TO.. AND THAT YOU REALLY WANT THAT RESPONCIBILITY..
REMEMBER HOW YOU JUDGE OTHERS IS HOW YOU WILL BE JUDGED...
I am sure.. that you are above reproof in all area's.. SPEAKING OF WHICH.... HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN... LET HIM CAST THE FIRST STONE...
Thanks.
Tonia,
Jesus wasn't saying, "Don't judge." He was saying, "Don't judge your brother without first judging yourself." His exhortation was to remove the plank or beam from your brother's eye first, so that you can see clearly to remove the speck of sawdust from your brother's eye.
Part of the problem we have with judging is that when people say "judge" they usually mean or imply "condemn." But judging means much more than that.
"To judge" means "to make a distinction" or "to separate." You judge every day, in every aspect of life. You had to make a judgment in order to decide what clothes to wear today, or what to eat. You are also responsible for judging between truth and error.
When we look at scripture on judging, it is important that we pay attention to who is being addressed.
Romans 2:1.
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whoever thou art that judgest: for in that thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
At first glance, this verse seems to forbid judging, and to warn that when you judge someone else, you are condemning yourself. But who is it talking to? Those who judge others for doing the same things they are doing. If you fall into that category, then you are indeed condemning yourself when you judge someone else! But this is not a blanket prohibition against judging.
What God wants is not for us to avoid judging, but instead to judge rightly.
It's very easy for me to establish my own standard for right and wrong, and to judge others according to that standard -- but that, too, is judging wrongly. If we are going to "judge righteous judgment," we must not judge by man's standard, which is flawed to begin with, but by God's standard.
Each of us is responsible before God to judge himself. Ask yourself: Do I have a plank in my eye? Even if someone asks me for my judgment, if I have a plank in my eye in that area, that is, if my walk with God is not right in that area, I should either deal with my own plank first, or decline to give judgment.
The real key to judging righteous judgment is self judgment. Start with yourself; judge yourself first. You of all people ought to know how diligently I'm seeking after Christ & striving to obey his commands. I have also stated numerous times, that when I say something to anyone, that I have to look at myself just as hard if not harder.
I Corinthians 11:31-32.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
When the Lord judges us, He disciplines us. It's much less painful for you to judge yourself than for you to wait for the Lord to correct you.
One of the fruit of the spirit is self-control. If a child does not exercise self-control in an area, discipline must be imposed on him externally for his own protection and growth. This may involve loss of blessings or privileges, or even physical discipline. That's the same way God works with us. If we exercise self-control ourselves, there is no need for disciplinary action in our lives by God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words like, "Don't be judgmental," or, "You can't judge me"
If you don't exercise righteous judgment, how will you know who or what to be a partner with?
Ephesians 5:8-10.
For ye were once darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
(For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Proving what is acceptable to the Lord.
Everything doesn't please God! You've got to judge between what is of God, and what is not!
Ephesians 5:11.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].
How do you expose darkness? By shedding the light of God's Word on it!
If we are going to be able to understand what the will of the Lord is, if we are going to walk in wisdom, we must "judge righteous judgment."
What is to be my attitude if someone else in the body of Christ judges me? I am to submit myself to that person in the fear of God. But what if that person has a plank in their eye? What if they are not walking in a godly way in the area in which they are reproving me? If my ultimate subjection is to God, then I will subject myself to His Word, even when it is given to me in less than desirable circumstances.
We must be careful not to use the "plank" in someone else's eye as an excuse for not accepting unwanted reproof from God's Word. If you look hard enough, you can always find a plank in the eye of someone you don't want to listen to. None of us walks perfectly before God.
But nobody has a plank everywhere in their body! Don't look for weakness or disobedience in one area of a person's life to use as an excuse for ignoring their godly judgment in another area. ~ I never said that I was above reproof. ~
The best rule for receiving reproof from other believers is this: Line up what you hear with the Word of God, and act accordingly.
I Corinthians 4:5a.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord shall come...
Does this mean, as some have said, that we are not supposed to judge until the Lord returns? Keep reading!
I Corinthians 4:5b.
...who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make known the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise from God.
What are we not supposed to judge right now? Men's hearts! God has not authorized us to judge other people's hearts and minds. However, we are responsible before God to judge the words and deeds of those within the body of Christ. By what standard? By the Word of God.
Yes, we are to judge. And all of our judgment is to begin with judgment of ourselves. We need to judge whether or not we are in the faith; whether or not our actions are godly; whether or not our thoughts are godly; whether or not our motives are godly.
We must not be satisfied just to judge; we must "judge righteous judgment."
Ladies calm down, one thing I would like to address is that God does tell us to judge those who claim to be Christians by their actions, It is the unsaved we are not to judge that is God's job.
Second... think about this, YOU may be the only Bible anyone ever reads, our actions speak for their self our action speak louder than words, and so be it ...so does how we dress and present ourselves to the world in which we are not to be of.
So am I missing something here? I think this was a good journal~
Shalom Nana54
What do these pictures say to you?
Well your right on this thanks keep up the good post.... we need it If we belive that JESUS is coming back maybe to day that keeps me clean and up close with JESUS and show HIS love as I witness about HIM some rooms have kicked me out because I can not say JESUS in the rooms. lets keep oil in our lamps at all times........ .. 
Voted popular!
Already a member? Click here to log in
Check out these Tasty Treats from The Stir's partners:
Hey i did a study on this cause God put this in my heart about what we should or should not wear.. Well What I got is that we are not suppose to draw attention to ourselves... Meaning we are not suppose to wear shirts that show are boobs or short skirts or shorts.. We are not to wear anything that draws attention to ourselves we are for one man and one man only and he is the only one that should be seeing all that...I know before i was saved i would wear stuff just to get attention from others i wanted to women to want to look like me and the men to want me...But when I got saved I got rid of all the clothes that i knew i shouldn't be wearing :) This is a great journal..Everything I do online is to show glory to God and him only cause its not about me and what my flesh wants its about JESUS AND WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO...I want women on this site to see my profile or hear me talk and know there is something different about her and i want what she has and i can lead them to the Lord... :) Thanks for posting this and i will share this with others....
- hinson7169
Message Friend Invite