It's Resolution Time Again

In preparing for my girls class on Sunday morning, I wanted to do something special that dealt with resolutions. As I was researching, I found a list of the top 10 New Years resolutions, and I thought it would be neat to turn them into something with a spiritual application. And so, if you don't mind, I'm going share that with you today, because I feel it's beneficial for all of us.

Top 10 New Year's Resolutions

1: Spend more time with family. As Christians, we are a part of a spiritual family (Rom. 8:16-17, 28-30). Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching." It is good for Christians, brethren, to be together and to encourage one another. It would do every Christian well to resolve to spend more time with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Surely, after a year of spending more time with holy people, we ourselves would be holier.

2: Get fit. Paul wrote to Timothy that bodily exercise profits little, but that godliness is profitable to all (1 Tim. 4:7-9). To the Corinthians, Paul would write, "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it unto subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Cor. 9:25-27)" In no way do I think Paul is undermining the need for a healthy body (as it is the vehicle for us as we 'go into all the world'), but is instead focusing on that which is of more importance, and that is our spiritual workout. We must discipline ourselves spiritually so that when we teach others, we are not being hypocrites.

I think this can also fall into the priority argument, too. Sometimes we get so consumed with our physical bodies that we neglect our spiritual selves. We don't get the proper spiritual diet or the appropriate (and regular) spiritual work out. In 2013, let us all aspire to get our spiritual self fit.

3: Lose weight. The author of the book of Hebrews said in chapter 12:1-2, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Sin is quite cumbersome. When we have sin, it holds us back; it weighs us down. It keeps us from running with endurance and winning the prize. To be a faithful child of God, we must all lay down the weight that entangles us; however, like shedding physical pounds, it won't be easy. Letting go of the sins we have held on to for so long will be difficult, but it is not impossible. Not if we'll do as the writer told us: look to Jesus.

4: Quit smoking. Our bodies are the temples of God (1 Cor. 6:19) and are not our own. So, we must take care of them. So while you may not struggle with putting nicotine into your body and irreversibly damaging your lungs and throat, there may be other things that you could stand to quit. Let us all strive to quit harming our physical bodies -- be it by alcohol, drugs, excessive sun exposure, self-inflicted wounds, or participating in sexual immorality.

5: Get out of debt. The reason that Jesus came to earth and suffered all that He did was so that we could all go to heaven and be with Him one day. He came to lift the burden of sin -- to free us from the debt of sin (Mt. 18:21-35). Take advantage of Jesus' gracious offer this year. If you are not in a relationship with Him, do as He has commanded and become a child of God by being immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38). If you are a Christian, it is still possible to accumulate debts of sin. Do as John commanded in 1 John 1 and confess your sins so that God will forgive you of them.

6: Enjoy life more. So many people are searching for happiness and the 'best life possible'. Jesus came to give us that way. "I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10)."If you are one of those people who are looking to get more out of life, look no further! Though His sacrifice, Jesus has given us all that we could possibly ever need: salvation! BUT, on top of that, God showers blessings upon His children (James 1:17). Truly being a Christian IS living the best life possible!

7: Quit drinking. Since we've already talked about harming our bodies, let's take this one as a 'quit drinking the Kool-Aid". Our world would have us believe that homosexuality is cool, that partying and drugs are awesome, and that profanity and taking the Lord's name in vain are harmless. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid! If you put impurity in...guess what your heart looks like? Spoiler alert: it's impure! Jesus said that only the pure in heart would see God (Matt. 5:8), which explains why Paul urged the Philippians to think on pure, lovely, true, honorable, virtuous things (Phil. 4:8). The more impurity we put in, the less we look like Christ. Stop trying to look like/sound like/dress like the world and start trying to imitate Jesus.

8: Learn something new. Why not use the time that God gives you to learn more about Him? Challenge yourself to learn something new about the Scripture--and truly there are always new gems to uncover! Perhaps you don't know all of the books of the Bible, or have a hard time finding them during class -- challenge yourself to learn them. Memory work is always a valuable thing to embark on. In whatever way you want to challenge yourself to do this, learn something new about God in 2013. And not just something, somethings.

9: Help others. The great commission applies to each and every one of us when it says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)". Use this year to bring at least one soul closer to Jesus. While helping others physically is needed and beneficial, helping someone spiritually matters the most. The soul is the most important feature of a person, and if you truly want to help them, teach them how they can inherit eternal life!

10: Get organized. Matthew 6:31-34 says, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?" or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." There are so many things that can occupy our time. Instead of getting consumed by physical things, use 2013 to re-organize -- re-prioritize -- your life. When we seek God first, above all else, He adds the rest to us.

We have the power to make 2013 the best yet. If we will choose to put God first, the rest of our year will be well spent. Let us all purpose to be good stewards of the time that God affords us.

From my heart, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and a blessed rest of the year.

The Thessalonian Approach

The church at Thessalonica was a good church. Paul would often admonish and encourage them, and his letters to them are quite inspiring. These first century Christians were ready for Jesus to come back, and while they had some questions about His coming, they were doing what they could so that He would find them working and being pleasing to Him.

At the end of 1 Thessalonians, Paul encourages them to "abstain from all appearance of evil (5:22, KJV)." The reason that I find this verse so fascinating is because I think it can teach us a lot about how we should live our lives today.

Perhaps you are a person who has been a Christian for a while, and maybe you don't struggle with doing evil things. You probably aren't tempted to murder, to steal, to commit adultery. You may not have a problem with drunkenness or homosexuality or sorcery. I feel like those who were living in Thessalonica didn't have a huge problem with these things either. They were desperately trying to please their God, much like we are today. And it is to those faithful brethren that Paul wrote those words:

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." 

Paul is all about pushing people to the next level, much like our Lord and Savior was (see Mt 5:21-48). These people in Thessalonica were already doing their best not to do evil things...to stay away from the things mentioned in passages like Galatians 5:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. And for that reason, Paul urges them to go a step further. As a Christian, it is not enough to simply not participate in evil things. Instead, as holy and sanctified people of God (1 Pet. 2:9), we are to stay away from things that even have the appearance of evil.

God's chosen people must remember that they are to be different. As members of our Lord's body, we are a called out people. If we look like and act like the rest of the world, how called out are we? If we promote activities and movies and television shows and songs and artists that are unholy and immoral, how are we abstaining from the appearance of evil? When we attend concerts where illicit drugs and drunkenness prevail, dances where immodesty and lewdness abound, and movies with foul language and nudity, how are we abstaining from the appearance of evil?

Even if we are not practicing such behaviors, promoting them seems to be just as bad. As holy people of God, we must be different. We must only think on things that are pure, lovely, and of good report (Phil. 4:8). We must set our minds on things above, not dwell on things that are carnal and earthly (Col. 3:2). We must strive to be holy in all of our conduct (1 Pet. 1:15), and that leaves no room for getting caught up in things that have the appearance of evil.

It won't be easy. Choosing not to shop at certain stores, go to certain events, or listen/watch certain things may even bring us ridicule and persecution. But all of that will be temporary, and our faithfulness to God will be rewarded.

Please don't think that this post means I am calling out anyone but myself. I know myself pretty well, and with confidence I can tell you that some of the temptations that are listed in the Bible aren't things that tempt me. However, not letting myself get involved with things that have the appearance of evil--that's something that I struggle with constantly. It is my prayer that I can put this verse in the forefront of my mind, and that you can do the same, and that together, we can encourage one another to a holier lifestyle.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written 'Be holy, for I am holy.'     - 1 Peter 1:13-16

Tough Stuff Tuesday: Immodest Clothing

I couldn't start a post on immodesty without linking you to some amazing stuff written by Jennifer Gerhardt. Scroll back through her old posts and read all about modesty. It's some incredible stuff.

Being the first day of spring, immodest clothing season is rapidly approaching. I think it's important for us to purpose from the very beginning that we want to be modest this year, in every way. I will be focusing on the "usual" modesty topic---you know, the one that talks about covering up. Jennifer addressed so many amazing things in her posts and I think you should take the time to read her thoughts on what it means to be truly modest. I'll just be focusing on this one way.

Every year tells the same tale: girls who are Christians don't clothe themselves with Christ during the hotter months. That's a blanket statement, and in no way do I think that all girls dress immodestly. However, I know it is a struggle for even the girls with the purest of motives. Manufacturers don't make a lot of modest clothes. So even if you want to, it's difficult.

Still, some girls don't seem to want to. Tank tops and cleavage and thighs and bikinis abound from March through September. There isn't much left to anyone's imagination. There definitely isn't a lot left for their future husbands. Now I know that the overwhelming majority of people who read my posts aren't teenage girls, but I know some moms read it. I know some dads read it. I know some college-aged singles read it. And guess what? Modesty is for all of us.

While I'm not a parent, I can assure you that you hold so much power in how your child dresses and will continue to dress. I can remember going shopping with my mom when I was young (maybe 8 or so) and she wouldn't let me buy tank tops. I thought, Mom, that's crazy! And yet, when I was a teenager, I wasn't tempted to wear spaghetti strap tank tops or tube tops (though that doesn't mean that I didn't go through my rebellious stages at times). My mom had instilled in me that it wasn't appropriate to wear things like that. Had my mom let me wear things like that until I was 12 or 13 and then one day say, "well I don't think that's really appropriate", I might have gotten mixed signals. Having boundaries at an early age helped me stay away from those things that would hurt my influence when I was older. I can also remember an instance when I was in high school, perhaps a freshman or sophomore, and I came bustling down the stairs in something that was too short. My mom immediately sent me upstairs to change. I can't tell you where I was going, what I was wearing, or anything like that, but I can tell you that I remember the lesson. I was irritated at the time because I wanted to "fit in", but looking back, I'm thankful that my mom taught me to be separate. After all, that's what being holy really means.

Really, though, modesty starts in the heart. If your heart is right with and close to God, you will try to clothe yourself with Christ, not the world. Instead of trying to impress the boys or girls at school, you will try to live in a way that God wants you to, constantly trying to please Him. If your heart isn't close to Him, why would you be expected to alter the way you dress? That would be going through the motions, wouldn't it? It is only when we give our hearts to God that we give Him our entire body as well.

Are you a Christian? Think back to the time you were baptized. That wasn't a flippant thing. When we are baptized, we put on Christ (Gal 3:27). You read that right, we "put on". What other kinds of things do we put on? Right--apparel. When we wake up each morning, we should put on Christ first. Before we walk to our closet, before we mentally start checking off which things are clean and which are dirty, we should pray to our Father that we will act like Christ. When that is our mindset, the rest will be easy. We won't wear clothes that draw attention to ourselves--we'll want people to see Christ in us. We won't wear clothes that are too tight or too low cut or too short--we'll want others to know that Jesus lives inside of us. We won't make excuses for why we're being immodest (nothing fits me right, my ___ is/are just too big)--we'll be seeking God first, self second.

There is so much more to modesty, and that's why I linked you to Jennifer's blog. I do think it's important, though, that we all prepare for the warm weather we're about to experience by first putting on Christ, then selecting our summer wardrobe accordingly.

I want to leave you with the wise words of Paul, specifically addressing the ladies:

"...that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works." -1 Tim 2:9-10, emp. added. 

Don't think of it as having restrictions because you're a female. Instead, think of it as a way to outwardly express your godliness every single day