Modesty Matters

From the archives of "Shine Like Stars".  Originally posted November, 2009.

Does modesty matter to you?  Do you think about modesty as you go shopping for clothes for yourself or your family?


A few years ago I did several classes for women and teens on modesty.  (Modesty  is important for males AND females, and it can be about more than just clothing.  We can be immodest by the way we act and talk, but for this devotional thought, I'll concentrate on clothing.)  At that time, I also did extensive research on the subject.  In our society, it's sometimes hard to find modest apparel.  Much of the world does not care about modesty.  However, apparently God does care about modesty, because it's talked about in His Word.

“In like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls or costly array, but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works”. 

1 Timothy 2:9-10

While searching for information at that time, I came across a check list for modesty (link provided at bottom of post).  It's a great tool to use when examining your wardrobe and your attitude towards fashion. Ask yourself the following questions about modesty:

MODESTY CHECK LIST

· What statement do my clothes make about my heart?


· In choosing what clothes to wear today, whose attention do I desire and whose approval do I crave? Am I seeking to please God or impress others?


· Is what I wear consistent with biblical values of modesty, self-control and respectable apparel, or does my dress reveal an inordinate identification and fascination with sinful cultural values?


· Who am I trying to identify with through my dress? Is the Word of God my standard or is it the latest fashion?


· Have I solicited the evaluation of other godly individuals regarding my wardrobe?


· Does my clothing reveal an allegiance to the gospel or is there any contradiction between my profession of faith and my practice of godliness?


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So, what do you think?  Why should you care to be modest? Most importantly, because modesty is important to God. God doesn't care about being fashionable in the way the world does. He cares about the inside - about your heart. (I Samuel 16:7)  Modesty is a reflection of the heart.


You should also dress modestly because you should care about YOU! Your looks, your clothes, your physical attributes do not make you more valuable as a young woman of God. You are valuable as a young woman because God made you. You are His workmanship! (Ephesians 2:10) Wow! You were created unique and special. God made you that way so that you could glorify Him in all that you do.


Another reason to be modest is because of temptation. While boys and men are ultimately responsible for their own sin (Matthew 5:28) and desires, how you chose to dress can be a temptation to them. That does not mean you make them sin, but you may be the cause of the temptation - sometimes knowingly, but many times, unknowingly. If you do dress to deliberately draw attention to yourself or to certain parts of your body, please consider how this may be unpleasing to God. If you are a Christian, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)


We (young, old, men, women) should all be careful that we don't care more about fashion and our popularity in the world than we do about our relationship with Jesus, who is the Savior of our life as Christians.  Our main goals in everything we do, even in the way we dress, should be to glorify God and to please God. Nothing else in life really matters! (I Corinthians 10:31)


For more information about modesty, click here.