~ Sacred Decorum ~
"There are some who would have Christ cheap. They would have Him without the Cross. But the price will not come down."
- Samuel Rutherford -
Raising Femininity to Heavenly Heights
Many young women have the problem of a lack of intimacy with Christ. We desire to be close to Him, sensitive to His every word. But we're simply...not. Why are some women so full of Christ's love that people stop to ask them why they're so happy and others long to know Christ like that but are sorely lacking?
Amy Carmichael says it so well, "We must look upon the world, with all its delights and all its attractions, with suspicion and reserve. We are called to a higher Kingdom, we are touched with a divine Spirit. It is not that He forbids us this or that comfort or indulgence; it is not that He is stern, demanding us to follow a narrow path. But we who love our Lord and whose affections are set on Heavenly things voluntarily and gladly lay aside the things that charm and ravish the world, that, for our part, our hearts may be ravished with the things of Heaven that our whole being may be poured forth in constant and unreserved devotion in the service of the Lord who died to save us."
There is no such thing as too extreme when it comes to selling out to Christ. It's when you lay aside everything else to give your all to Christ that you shine with the light of Christ. That's when your intimacy with your Prince truly begins.
Laying Down Idols
A life without the pleasures of this world, even pleasures that don't seem that bad, sounds radical and even ridiculous. Watching movies or being interested in the latest celebrity gossip isn't necessarily sinful. However, worldly entertainment has a strong hold on most young Christians.
A good way to tell if you consider something an idol in your life is if you are unwilling to let it go - if you can't picture your life without it. Would you be ok giving up all of your TV time to spend time along with God? Would you be willing to dress plainly if that would help you get your mind off your looks and onto serving the Lord?
Sadly, even though we are supposed to have everything we could ever want or need in Christ alone, we still look to worldly entertainment for peace, joy and refreshment that He himself wants to give us. We are willing to settle for the counterfeit version of that peace and joy, through the movie screen, because we aren't willing to let Him give us the real thing.
"Most of us are far more influenced by pop culture than we are by the Word of God. We can quote our favorite lines from a hundred different chick flicks, but the only Scripture we know is John 3:16...
And we wonder why Christ feels distant."
We are so obsessed with things of this world that we have completely replaced Christ in our hearts. How can He thrive in our lives if we indulge in everything except Him? By loving what God loves and hating what God hates.
"A truly set apart woman is makred by this sacred decorum. She hates the things that God hates and loves the things that God loves, and she reflects this attitude in ever dimension of her daily life. Does God stand up and cheer over American Idol? Does He smile with delight over the new Harry Potter movie? Does He get excited about the latest Coldplay album?
Or does he grieve over our distracted, wandering, divided hearts?"
Other Christian girls may watch the same movies, listen to the same music, wear the same clothes and have all of the culture addictions as the rest of the world, but God has called us to a higher standard - the standard of Christ.
"There are some who would have Christ cheap. They would have Him without the Cross. But the price will not come down."- Samuel Rutherford -
Raising Femininity to Heavenly Heights
Many young women have the problem of a lack of intimacy with Christ. We desire to be close to Him, sensitive to His every word. But we're simply...not. Why are some women so full of Christ's love that people stop to ask them why they're so happy and others long to know Christ like that but are sorely lacking?
Amy Carmichael says it so well, "We must look upon the world, with all its delights and all its attractions, with suspicion and reserve. We are called to a higher Kingdom, we are touched with a divine Spirit. It is not that He forbids us this or that comfort or indulgence; it is not that He is stern, demanding us to follow a narrow path. But we who love our Lord and whose affections are set on Heavenly things voluntarily and gladly lay aside the things that charm and ravish the world, that, for our part, our hearts may be ravished with the things of Heaven that our whole being may be poured forth in constant and unreserved devotion in the service of the Lord who died to save us."
There is no such thing as too extreme when it comes to selling out to Christ. It's when you lay aside everything else to give your all to Christ that you shine with the light of Christ. That's when your intimacy with your Prince truly begins.
Laying Down Idols
A life without the pleasures of this world, even pleasures that don't seem that bad, sounds radical and even ridiculous. Watching movies or being interested in the latest celebrity gossip isn't necessarily sinful. However, worldly entertainment has a strong hold on most young Christians.
A good way to tell if you consider something an idol in your life is if you are unwilling to let it go - if you can't picture your life without it. Would you be ok giving up all of your TV time to spend time along with God? Would you be willing to dress plainly if that would help you get your mind off your looks and onto serving the Lord?
Sadly, even though we are supposed to have everything we could ever want or need in Christ alone, we still look to worldly entertainment for peace, joy and refreshment that He himself wants to give us. We are willing to settle for the counterfeit version of that peace and joy, through the movie screen, because we aren't willing to let Him give us the real thing.
"Most of us are far more influenced by pop culture than we are by the Word of God. We can quote our favorite lines from a hundred different chick flicks, but the only Scripture we know is John 3:16...
And we wonder why Christ feels distant."
We are so obsessed with things of this world that we have completely replaced Christ in our hearts. How can He thrive in our lives if we indulge in everything except Him? By loving what God loves and hating what God hates.
"A truly set apart woman is makred by this sacred decorum. She hates the things that God hates and loves the things that God loves, and she reflects this attitude in ever dimension of her daily life. Does God stand up and cheer over American Idol? Does He smile with delight over the new Harry Potter movie? Does He get excited about the latest Coldplay album?
Or does he grieve over our distracted, wandering, divided hearts?"
Other Christian girls may watch the same movies, listen to the same music, wear the same clothes and have all of the culture addictions as the rest of the world, but God has called us to a higher standard - the standard of Christ.
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