Here is an abbreviated version of a powerful devotional I got in my inbox this morning from Proverbs 31 Ministries. I thought it goes along nicely with yesterday's theme of modesty and appearance.
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Envy is a poison we may not even recognize. We give it a nicer title like "keeping up with the Jones" or "climbing the corporate ladder," but being upset with someone else's success is a bone-rotting toxin.
Proverbs 14:30 confirms it saying, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones" (NIV).
Dressing up and looking good made the Pharisees believe their own press. They seemingly had it all together. Do we act that way too? When asked, "How are you?" do we put on a happy face and respond, "Fine," when in fact, all is not fine? Do we fear what people will think or how they will react if they know we messed up again? It's easy to think, "My issues are nobody's business." Truth is, they are God's business because you belong to Him.
Everyone sees our pretty outside attire, but God knows what's going on beneath the surface. When He cleans house, He starts on the inside.
What's lurking in your dark corners? If self indulgence, self-reliance, or self-centeredness has camped out in your heart, let the housecleaning begin! Soon your outer beauty will radiate your new inner beauty.
Application Steps:Write down all the things you don't possess that have captured your heart. Ask God to purify your heart and change your desires.
Reflections:What do I use to me assure myself?
When am I most prone to let envy master my mind?
How can I stop the comparisons?
Power Verses:Proverbs 11:2, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (NIV)
Galatians 6:4, "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else." (NIV)
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My Personal Thoughts: Man, this spoke to me today! When it addresses being "pretty on the outside" but having trouble on the inside, it spoke to me because I have the tendency to give the impression (especially on my blog!) that everything is
fine and dandy. By not talking about my flaws or sidestepping personal questions, I often hope that I look fine to everyone. (Mind you, there are definitely things that one should keep off the internet and confide only in people they know personally and trust). But God knows our innermost thoughts and desires, and we can always turn to Him for advice and guidance in these sometimes embarrassing and/or humiliating, shameful matters that we don't want to bring to other people's attention. And His counsel and advice is free! Why go to a therapist and pay hundreds of dollars when you have the most powerful listening ear in the universe? :)
I often hear a haughty inner voice that tells me keeping up my "righteous" [insert snort here] appearances on the outside makes me better than others who don't try as hard. This is when my aims of modesty become prideful and overcooked (legalism alert!) and I need to check myself.
Speaking of flaws, I will, also, once in a while, find myself looking down my nose at the woman who is walking around half-dressed and looking for attention and think that I am better than her. "Well," the Holy Spirit whispers to my deceitful heart, "remember when you dressed that way because you had not come to the Truth and were still living for the world?" Ah, yes, I remember ashamedly, I was quite confused back then and hadn't given my life to Christ yet--I hadn't yet sought out the direction and guidance that the Word gives. Maybe she's in that same spot and I should have some compassion on her the way Christ had compassion on me.
It is the same thinking as the Pharisees had. I can try to cover up my flaws with makeup, nice clothes, following the rules, and put on a cheerful demeanor to make people think I am on my way to perfection, but none of those actions can cover my sins and make me whole again like the gift of substitutionary death by Christ
who died in our place.
This reminds me of yesterday's "Uplifting Thoughts" post where the anonymous writer said,
"Failures keep you humble". I keep thinking on that phrase because I know I need to write it on my heart. I take failures way too hard and need to see them as a chance to extinguish my prideful side. Every time I think I do a great job and get criticism or knocked down,
BAM! Pride gets stomped. Every time I think I look great and turn around to see a piece of toilet paper trailing from my shoe,
BAM! Pride gets stomped. Every time I think I take a great photo at work and no one pats me on the back about it,
BAM! Pride gets stomped! And I can either pout about it, or turn my thoughts inward to remember that I am not perfect. WHich action do you think is going to yield fruitful results? Hmm... ;)
Things that I don't possess that have captured my heart:- a child
- a house
- being a homemaker and getting away from the 9 to 5 world
- a livable wage for my husband
- certain clothing or material things
I do ask that God purify my heart and change my
irrational desires for these things since my yearning for them becomes unhealthy for my marriage and emotional health. The hope I have is to be at peace with my current situation and not envy others' situations, and to not strive to control my life and interfere with God's will for it.
I hope that you are blessed by this post and will apply it to your life if you feel called to do so.
Blessings!Sarah
Labeled as:
clothing,
Office Clothing,
Thrifted Treasures
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