The Well-Dressed Christian Woman
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
-Colossians 3:12-14 (MSG)
For the past couple of weeks I've received several spring fashion catalogues in the mail. I'm pretty sure you may have received some too. The women are "decked out" from head to toe with color-coordinated accessories. The goal of these catalogues is to encourage you think about how you might look in the advertised fashions so that you will go out and buy them.
I like to shop just as much as the next woman. However, I'm careful to remind myself that while looking my best, I must not forget to make sure that I'm well-dressed spiritually too. Clothes may wear out, go out of style or no longer fit, but a beautiful spirit will last for eternity.
Some women have personal shoppers and stylists to assist them with looking their best. As a Christian, you have access to the ultimate stylist. Colossians 3:12 says that God has already picked out a wardrobe for you. You should dress in:
Compassion
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Kindness
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23
Humility
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2
Quiet Strength/Gentleness
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
Philippians 4:5
Discipline/Patience/Long Suffering
A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 19:11
Your Heavenly Father is so awesome that He even provides you with an all-purpose garment even better than your "little black dress." The Christian woman's basic, all-purpose garment is love. No matter what else you put on, Colossians 3:1 says to wear love and you will always be one of the best dressed women in the room.
Love
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
My Challenge to You:
As you pack away your winter clothing and replace them with your spring and summer outfits, take a look at your spiritual wardrobe. Are you wearing the wardrobe God picked out for you? Is there anything that needs to be replaced? Does your all purpose garment need a little spring cleaning? Remind yourself daily that you can be a well-dressed Christian woman.
© 2007 Joyce M. Averils
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? No problem! But here is what you MUST include: Joyce M. Averils, is a Bible Teacher/Speaker/Coach and author of The Busy Woman's Prayer Journal - My Guide to Daily Communications with God. Get your free mini-Bible Study, "The Beauty Trap - Where Do You Get Your Self-Worth?" at RefreshYourFaith.com - The Online Spa for Christian Women
Understanding Prosperity Christianity - Are Christians Supposed to Be Rich?
Prosperity Christianity has gotten a bad rap. A lot of people seem to think it means that for Christians to be rich, they have to have a lot of money or else God hasn't fully blessed them.
After watching the recent events play out in the press, for stars like Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson, I want to challenge this belief. Although these people claim to be Christians, what they're really doing is living in a way that Wallace Wattles, in "The Science of Getting Rich", called swinishly.
Now, we can argue over whether or not these people really are Christians. That's not the point. The truth is, only God really knows the answer to that one, and it's between Him and these individuals.
My point is this: is true prosperity for Christians really all about money?
For these three, I would say no.
Does this mean Christians shouldn't have money? Again, no.
Christians should have money, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting financially prosperous and having a lot of money.
Joel Osteen certainly has a financially prosperous church and marketing experts and Christians like Lisa Diane and Jimmy D. Brown have certainly demonstrated that you can have a lot of money and be happy. And none of these three shy away from living their faith.
Money has its place. As T. Harv Eker says, "You can pay your bills with love".
There are several keys to prosperity that Christians need to put first:
1. Make God number one in your life. Put Him first. "Do what you do for the glory of God." As Christians, there's a lot of things we can do with money to spread the gospel. We can be a blessing to others.
In the words of Wallace Wattles, "You owe it to God, to yourself, and to humanity to make the most of yourself."
Understand that God has a purpose for blessing you with a lot of money. It's not just about being able to ride around in limos, eat in fancy restaurants, and buy whatever you want. There's a purpose.
2. Prosperity is about balance. In order to achieve true prosperity, you need to do a lot more than just make a lot of money.
The three areas Wallace Wattles says to concentrate on are mind, body, and spirit.
This means we need a strong focus on God. We need to build strong relationships with those we love. We need to achieve health, and we need to strengthen ourselves mentally and spiritually.
Get rid of your baggage, grudges, hatreds, and anything that's holding you back. There's tremendous power in forgiveness because you're releasing something you shouldn't hold onto anyway.
I truly believe that many people have died well before their time because they held onto painful events.
Let go of this garbage and replace it with positive belief.
God thinks you're someone special, extraordinary, and unique. He deeply loves you so much that He made you in His image, and He sent his son, Jesus, to die for you on the cross so you could have a relationship with Him forever.
Talk about an offer you can't refuse!
3. God put those desires in your heart. Remember, God is a creator, and He created us to have a relationship with Him. He also created each of us for a purpose.
Unless those desires in your heart are sinful, God put them there. So it's time to go for it!
True prosperity isn't just about money. True prosperity is about becoming everything you are meant to be, to do all you are meant to do, and to have all you are meant to have.
God has big plans and big dreams for you.
We were never meant to aspire to be God, we are to aspire to be like God. That makes us creators, and we can choose to create something great, or something that's junk.
Stop living small. Stop dreaming small, and ask God to reign down His blessings on you. Ask for everything He wants you to have. If He didn't believe you deserved it, He wouldn't want to give it to you. He just can't give you what you won't accept.
Now dream big, live big, and open yourself up to having everything God wants you to have. When you do, what you will get will be far larger, far richer, and far better than just a big bank account.
Jinger Jarrett wants to show you how to live the life you've always dreamed of. You can read her blog, The Science of Getting Rich for Christians, at http://www.101christian.com. Get her best free resources on changing your life at Squidoo, http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/jingerjarrett1.
Understanding the True Meaning of Tolerance
Dictionary.com defines tolerance as the following:
1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
Although there are other definitions for tolerance, they don't relate to what I'm about to say.
I live in the United States of the Offended. It seems like every time you turn around somebody is whining about being offended or having his/her rights violated. Often these are rights they really don't possess.
I believe that everyone has the right to believe whatever they want. However, no right is absolute. It doesn't mean you have the right to say whatever you want, or to act on those beliefs.
An example in America is racism. Racism simply means that you think your race is superior to everyone else's. I'm sure there are people who believe that. So what?
Far more dangerous is prejudice and discrimination. Holding prejudiced beliefs and then acting on them leads to discrimination against others for a lot of different reasons.
I don't believe Christians are any more intolerant than anyone else. I don't believe our faith is a religion of intolerance.
Anyone who wants to become a Christian can certainly do so. The real problem is when Christians begin to embrace sin. When we say that it's OK to engage in any kind of behavior as long as it makes you happy.
This is where we need to draw the line. The bottom line is that Christians will always be accused of being bigots. However, as long as we respect the rights of others, even when we disagree, we're not bigots at all. We are simply trying to follow Christ, and He never had a problem with confronting another person about his/her sin.
One fundamental right we all need to recognize is the right to free choice. It is a right that God has given to all of us. We can choose to love Him or not. We can choose to be sinners, or not. We can choose to walk the path Christ has created for us, or not.
Just as I don't want to see my faith banned, or outlawed, I would see no one else's right to practice his or her faith outlawed. I may not agree with it, but as long as it does no harm to others, I see no point in telling others what to think, believe, or how to act.
America is at a crossroads; we can choose to respect the rights of others without agreeing with them. This also means that sometimes we will have to stand up for what is right when the acts of others are harmful.
The late Reggie White, Greenbay Packer, and one of the greatest pro football players of the NFL, was called the "Minister of Defense". He earned this title not only because he was the greatest defensive player who played the game, but he was also an ordained minister. He said that Christians should be "meek, not weak".
Meek doesn't mean being a doormat. It means being patient. It's time to stop being doormats. It's time to stop getting our feelings hurt every time someone calls us a name, or disrespects our faith.
Jesus called us to love. Judgement belongs to Him. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be discerning about our relationships and who we choose to associate with. Hang out in a bar long enough, and you'll be drinking.
However, in your daily contact with non believers, you need to love them. You don't have to agree with them, and it isn't your place to judge them.
Let Jesus heal your life. Lead by example. How you live will be a far more shining example of what Jesus can do than your words.
The Bible says that what's impossible with man is possible with God. God can do anything as long as you get your free will out of the way and allow Him to bless you. Only by allowing God to bless you, can you be a blessing to others.
There are so many broken, hurting, people in the world today, and you have the power, and the great Physician to help you do it.
Show others your respect. Demonstrate the true meaning of tolerance. Show them your love, and you will change the world in a way that is only possible with God.
Jinger Jarrett wants to show you how to live the life you've always dreamed of. You can read her blog, The Science of Getting Rich for Christians, at http://www.101christian.com. Get her best free resources on changing your life at Squidoo, http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/jingerjarrett1.
