|
GUEST
ARTICLE
[This
is an article by a 15-yar-old girl, as an encouragement
to other young people to dress, speak, and
behave modestly and decently.]
A
Living Sacrifice
The world places an enormous amount of
emphasis on our external appearances. How many commercials
on TV do you see that are advertising some sort of clothing,
skin, hair or makeup product? We should, of course, take
care of our bodies, but that shouldn’t be our number one
focus. According to 1 Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are a temple of God . . . .
We should condition our bodies and mind to do the Lord’s
work. Romans 12:1-2 says:
I appeal to you
therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what
is good and acceptable and perfect.
When people in the world see us, they
should sense that there’s something different about us. If
we dress, talk and act just like the world, there will be
no drawing power. They might think, “If they’re just like
us, what’s wrong with the way I am right now?”
Don’t
Conform to the World in the Way We Dress
Girls, especially teenage girls, tend
to have a problem with low self esteem. I admit to struggling
with this myself. It’s very easy to view yourself as not
being good enough. They often try to find acceptance, and
in many cases they may look in the wrong places, or the wrong
way. There are girls who have boyfriend after boyfriend,
just because they want to feel really special and loved,
even though they are not ready for a relationship. This might
also prompt them to dress in a way that is flashy or immodest
to attract attention. They just want to “fit in” and be “cool.” Sadly,
many times to fit in you must wear things that shouldn’t
be worn by a good Christian girl. The apostle Paul taught:
Likewise also
that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel,
with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and
gold or pearls or costly attire (1 Timothy 2:9).
When we walk into a room, our appearance
shouldn’t shout “Look at me!” but we should be respectable
and cleanly attractive. 1 Peter 3:3 says, “Do not let your
adorning be external—the braiding of the hair, putting on
of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear.” In God’s sight,
all of us are special and loved, and if we can know and accept
that, and are able to love ourselves, we won’t be looking
in the wrong places, or in the wrong ways to be accepted
(cf. Matthew 22:39).
Don’t
Conform to the World in the Way We Act
We shouldn’t try to act in such a way
as to attract attention from other people. The apostle Peter
taught, “But let your adorning be the hidden person of the
heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet
spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4).
Many times we have known a girl to laugh very loudly at a
comment, and then glance around to see if anyone is noticing
her. It’s not attractive when someone is always bragging
on themselves, or acting arrogant. (cf. 1 Samuel 2:3) We
need to be humble (see James 4:6; 4:10, 1 Peter 3:8).
Don’t
Conform to the World in the Way We Speak
Our speech needs to be pure. In Colossians
4:6 it says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned
with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each
person.” If you get together with a group of girls, many
times there will be gossip going around. You’ll hear things
like, “Did you hear?” “Did you see what she did?” And so
on. It’s extremely easy to get caught up in gossip; and if
we don’t watch ourselves, we’ll be right in the middle of
it, adding our own, “Well I heard?” The Bible clearly teaches
that gossip is wrong. Our Lord said, “I tell you, on the
day of judgment people will give account
of every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). If you
take time to think about it, this is very sobering. We must
learn to guard our tongues, and not fall into the trap of
gossip.
Present
Yourselves as a Living Sacrifice
Instead of focusing so much attention
on ourselves, we should try to look for ways that we can
serve others. There are numerous areas in which girls can
serve the church:
Helping the sick: Prepare food,
baby-sit for sick parents, send cards, visit, and help with
various household chores.
Mothers with new babies: Prepare
food, offer to baby-sit older children so the mother can
rest, help with children in worship services, and help around
the house.
Elderly: Talk to them and keep
them company, clean house, fix meals, and remember special
occasions, such as birthdays and holidays, sit with them
during worship services.
Hospitality in your community: Visit
new neighbors, take along a welcome basket that includes
information about the church, and help them become familiar
with the area.
Hospitality to visitors at worship: Welcome
strangers, if there are children, offer to help them find
their Bible class, sit with them in church, and send them
a thank you letter for visiting.
Conclusion
It’s a very big challenge to try to follow
God’s will, especially when friends are pressuring us to
do things that are not godly. But, let’s accept the challenge,
and stand up for what’s right, because in the end, when we
have a home in heaven, it will all be worth it. “Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
--Lindsey
Anne Jensen
Saturday, September 1, 2007
About
the Author (by Wayne Jackson)
Lindsey Anne Jensen is the daughter of
George and Joy Jensen. The Jensens, including all four children,
are missionaries in Tanzania , Africa .
Lindsey loves Africa .
She was born on September 1, 1992. A day of joy for not only
George and Joy, but Wayne and Betty Jackson, her grandparents.
She is a lovely and spiritually minded fifteen year old.
http://www.women-of-hope.com/
|
