Keeping Cool Without Compromise
Ponder: Modesty in dress
Scripture: “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation . . .” (1 Timothy 2:9a, NKJV).
It’s officially summer! Traditionally, as the heat wears on, the clothes come off. To a point, this is appropriate. Who would wear insulated coveralls to a fourth-of-July fireworks display? However, we ought to recognize that passages like 1 Timothy 2:9 have not been suspended for the summer.
What constitutes modest dress? And why does Paul specify women? Modest simply means decent, honorable, and dignified. The American Standard Version accurately translates propriety as “shamefastness.” The idea is not that she is ashamed of her body, but that her sense of shame holds her fast from dressing indecently. Wouldn’t all of us blush at appearing in public in undergarments? How much different is that from most current swimwear? Where is our modesty and propriety?
As to the passage specifying women, surely most mature people recognize that men are more visually-oriented than women. That’s not a slam against either gender, it’s just a fact. Advertisers know this, hence the ceaseless barrage of TV & print ads featuring scantily-clad women. Jesus Himself warned men against looking lustfully at women (Matthew 5:28). Neither Paul nor Jesus was picking on anybody, nor did they say it was ok for men to dress immodestly.
Current anti-male feminist dogma would have us believe that virtually all men are dirty-minded Neanderthals who will think lustfully about women no matter how they dress. That’s just a stereotype; it’s unfair and inaccurate. But even if it were true, it wouldn’t justify immodest dress. That would make no more sense than saying, “This gasoline is volatile anyway, so I am justified as I play with matches close by.”
You can stay cool this summer without compromising God’s word. Whether you are a man or a woman, remember to be modest!
Song: “Oh, to be like Thee”
Prayer: Father, we praise and thank You for the warmth of summer. Bless us, we pray, as we strive to stay cool without being immodest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Joe Slater (Justin, TX)