Modesty...Do not conform to this world!

With having an 8 year old girl in a home with two brothers, I am endevouring to teach her that the ways of the world are not the way to walk. Modesty is a part of this.

This really struck home when we were invited to a friend's house and they had a hottub. One of the members of the family lent my princess as 2 piece bathing suit. I let her wear it...with an oversize dark tshirt over it, not much help when she was soaking wet, but at least flesh was not hanging out all over.

I recall sitting in church and a woman who was there regularly, barely had any fabric covering her body, my husband tried not to look but I could tell he found her lack of clothing a distraction from worship. I looked a the little boys next to me, and thought of the verse in which we are instructed not to cause our brothers to stumble. Doesn't this woman realize that she causes men to look at her not the Lord? I felt sorry for my sweet husband and other men in the church who struggled not to look but found the temptation right in their face! I wondered about her two teenage sons and what example she has set in selecting their future wives, and was overwhelmed with sadness for them. (I still pray that God will guard their hearts and show them what God desires for them).

I find this harder and harder with each passing year. The "fashions" and clothing available for little girls becomes racier all the time. I don't know how to sew well and oftentimes the places that carry "modest" clothing are way out of my budget. I don't have a lot of time to teach myself how to sew, and I suspect that the patterns available now will reflect the fashion of the day. (what does God care of fashion?)

As I was looking for frugal ideas, I ran across the blog above, what a wonderful blog jam packed with information to aid in a woman's walk with our Lord. The link above is a checklist for modesty...I think I will print it out and post it where my princess and I can see it. I will share this with my husband as well, to help me guide this little girl as God would want her to be.

Repent

God sent His Beloved Son as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Unblemished by sin, when faced with temptations...

I am not so good, I sin daily and must take these sins to my heavenly Father and pray that He will forgive those sins, yet I must go one step further...to repent...to turn away from...to walk away from and not turn back.

I must learn to keep in mind that the repentance that God offers is not to alleviate guilt, but for the restoration of the relationship with HIM.

In the IBLP lesson of repentance the author wrote "Repentance is like a fresh spring breeze that blows away the foul odor of sin." What a true gift this is.

As a wife, mother, grandmother I must remember to model this for my family, I must remember to repent of sins committed against them that I may model the repentance we are offerred by God

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27


Yesterday during the devotional time with the children, our bible verse was Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts. The author of the devotional relayed a story about a little girl who had a sock stuck to her back from static cling ... equating it to how sin can stick to us. The sock was stuck to her back, so until her family told her about it, she was not aware it was there. This reminded me of the verse in Hosea in which we are warned My people are destroyed by lack of knowlege. We must know what God desires of us to repent of the sins we committ, my faithfulness to my own edification has been lax since the kids returned back to my home, I concentrate on them, and forget myself. To often I dont take the time I need with God.

When we pray the Psalm 139:23 as David did, we will be confronted by our sins as God shows them to us, and we must take them to the Lord immediately, not later...now. For God did not design us to carry the burden of unrepented sin, it is a burden we can so easily release when we choose to.



Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to they lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of thy thender mercies blot out my transgressioins. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowlege my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that though mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Matthew 4:17 Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Over the years I have confused guilt, regret and remorse with repentance, in looking at the heart of the matter, what it amounts to is pride, a refusal to sumbit myself humbly before God, for yet another sin got in the way...pride. Pride puts ourselves as equal to God, it is me deciding what is right and what is wrong. Pride caused satan and 1/3 of the angels to be cast from heaven, and it causes me not to repent so that I can receiving the blessings that God so wants to give us.

Father God, I pray that you will open my heart to meditate on your words, not just quote from your word, let me enjoy the place in which you allow the Holy Spirit to be my teacher, and submit myself to the authority of your Word and not to think that the memorization of your word is enough, that I must live it. Please Lord, help me daily to be open to the sins you show me to repent, Lord guard my mind and my heart not to let pride get in my way, nor let me confuse the guilt of sin with repentance. Father wash me daily, make me white as snow.
In the precious name of your beloved and perfect son I pray....