True Woman Tuesday - Week 5

Welcome to Week 5 of the True Woman Makeover hosted by my cousin Tammi at Valleygirl. Check out her blog for her thoughts, as well as those of others doing this study with us.

We're continuing in the Attractive Christian Woman Series. Lessons 13, titled A Woman's Great Loveliness, and 14, Self-Control, focus in on two specific words of the 1 Timothy 2 passage we discussed last week - modesty (Lesson 13) and self-control (Lesson 14).

From the ESV - "women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control"

A woman's greatest loveliness comes through a modest heart; and a modest heart expresses itself in modest behavior, modest dress, modest reactions, and modest attitudes.

Modesty is not just about dress (though of course it covers that too - pun intended!).

Modesty involves humility.

It's seeing yourself as you are - having a realistic and humble view of your own talents and abilities.

It's about being discreet, and feeling appropriately embarrassed when other people are not being discreet - when private and intimate things are discussed publicly.

It's the opposite of vanity and showiness, of self-centredness, of bossiness, of arrogance.

It's taking the focus off yourself. You don't need to be the star of the show or the centre of attention.

And if that isn't counter-cultural I don't know what is!!

Self-control is another word practically foreign to society today. We live in a society that not only completely legitimizes the desire to simply take what we want without thought for others, it encourages it! Do what feels right to you. If you want it, do it. You have the right to be happy. It's your body.

This is such a natural temptation of the flesh, and there's no way we can be self-controlled in all areas of our lives without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Self-control covers soooo much. Our sexual passions - as women it is very easy to abuse the power we know we wield over men, visually and suggestively. Exciting the passions of your husband - absolutely!! But that's where the line has to be drawn. Even mild flirtation is playing with fire.

We need to have a spiritual radar. We need to listen to the tug of the Holy Spirit within us.

Are we moderate in other areas as well - eating, exercise, in our speech, in our temper, how we spend our time and money. So many areas. I know I need to work on some of those that's for sure!

Let me tell you, the greatest freedom in life comes when we're under the control of the Holy Spirit. That's when you can really enjoy life. That's when you can enjoy healthy and wholesome relationships in the Body of Christ.

It's the women who have no self-control who are the ones who end up with their lives in a million pieces, sitting in a therapist's office

The world tries to tell us that we'll only gain happiness by focusing on ourselves. We've been sold a bill of goods!

Lesson 15 is called Reflecting God's Glory.

“Let your external appearance reflect why you’ve come to church.”

A woman who is going to church to worship God will have a heart that is reflected in the way she dresses. Instead of dressing to attract attention, we should clothe ourselves with good works.

When you extend yourself, your heart, and your hands in good works, you know what you’re doing? You’re adorning the gospel. You’re making Jesus believable. You’re reflecting a heart that is modest and pure and self-controlled. You’re reflecting the heart of Jesus.

I need to remember that. Every day, every action, every attitude, every word I speak is a reflection of my Saviour. If I claim Christ, I am a mirror of Him to a watching world. And make no doubt about it - they are watching.

Are they getting an accurate portrait?