Joy

Nehemiah 8:10, "...for the joy of the LORD is your strength!"

This week we decided on the topic of Joy for the Bible study.  This is a topic I have discussed before, so if you would like to see my previous post on joy you can click here! I was happy to discover that quite a few verses that I had not previously looked up came about in our discussion.  Below are a few of them:

Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."

 Isaiah 55:12, "You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!"

Isaiah 35:10 (also look up Isaiah 51:11), "Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness."

 More Scriptures to look up:
Nehemiah 12:43
Galatians 5:22
Philippians 4:4-8
James 1:2
Hebrews 12:2
John 15:10-12
Psalms 65:8-13 (On a side note... Psalms are full of joy!  It is a great place to start if you are looking for some joyful scriptures!!)
Acts 13:52

After discussing the verses above, we discovered that Joy and love seemed to be connected.  You can't really have one without the other.  One of the girls mentioned when she is feeling down and not joyful, she refocuses herself by loving others.  This, in turn, brings about joy!

Spending more time with God was also a way to be joyful.  Someone experienced it first hand.  After spending three or so hours reading their Bible, praying, studying scripture, or working on memorization, people actually told her they saw a joy in her eyes!  Pretty cool huh? 

What can you do to bring more joy into your life?  What are your favorite scriptures on Joy? I look forward to hearing from you!

Blessings!
~ S*

In My Modest Opintion...

Last week I shared some of the discussion we had at the Bible study... This week, I am going to list the scriptures found pertaining to modesty!

Scriptures for this week (All verses are in the NLT unless otherwise stated):

Modesty:

1 Corinthians 12:22-26, "In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."

1 Timothy 2:9-10, "And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do."

Clothing:

Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the Lord your God."

Matthew 6:28-34, "“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘...What will we wear?’ 32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

Proverbs 31:22b, "She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns." Only verse of physical appearance

Lust:

Proverbs 6:20-25, "My son, obey your father’s commands,

and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

21Keep their words always in your heart.

Tie them around your neck.

22When you walk, their counsel will lead you.

When you sleep, they will protect you.

When you wake up, they will advise you.

23For their command is a lamp

and their instruction a light;

their corrective discipline

is the way to life.

24It will keep you from the immoral woman,

from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.

25Don’t lust for her beauty.

Don’t let her coy glances seduce you."

Mathew 5:27-28

Colossians 3:5, 10, 12, 14, 17,  "So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Matthew 5:27-28

1 Peter 4:1-5

1 John 2:15-17

Eyes:

Numbers 15:39 (NIV), "You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes."

Proverbs 4:25-27, "Look straight ahead,

and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

26Mark out a straight path for your feet;

stay on the safe path.

27Don’t get sidetracked;

keep your feet from following evil."

Brother:

Hebrews 13:1, "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."

Philippians 2:2-5, "Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had."

1 Peter 3:8, "Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude."

Causing Others to Stumble:

1 Corinthians 15:33-34, "Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” 34Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all."

1 Corinthians 8  
Matthew 18:5-9
Mark 9:42-46
Luke 17:1-3

Lust is a very bad thing, and you can cause others to stumble by dressing or acting immodestly...  So we should make every effort to do everything we can to prevent our brothers in Christ from stumbling!  

Blessings!

~ S*

PS Next Study's topic is Joy, so feel free to post some verses and quotes on Joy between now and then as well!

The Definition of Modesty

After a wonderful evening discussing the topic of Modesty, many of us discovered a little bit more to the topic than we originally thought when it was first brought up.  

What is the first definition that comes to mind for you when you think of modesty?  Is it the way people dress, or possibly their attitude?  When asking a couple people their thoughts on modesty here were their responses... (Check last week's post for a couple more responses...) 

1. To be humble, but I think you can direct modesty at someone else more than you can humbleness.  You can be humble yourself, but you can be modest to others.  You could say kind things to them or you could even downgrade yourself (in a good way) to help someone else.

2. Modesty came into effect when Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...  Children are less modest because they don't know any better.  We as adults should be practicing modesty (in all definitions of the word), for we now have the knowledge of good and evil...

3. Someone pointed out that in the early 19th century (the time of Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth Bennet), men and women weren't allowed to spend that much time together... Especially alone.  While men are drawn in by women's appearance, women are emotional and sensitive to touch.  During that time period, the British, seemed to have honed in to the knowledge of what caused men and women to desire to do things they shouldn't do.  Thus, they just got rid of the temptation completely by setting standards and ways of life with extreme boundaries. This provided modesty in both forms of the word (dress and character), by making men pursue women in an honorable fashion.

Let's check out the definitions of Modesty:

Modest: 1. Having or showing a moderate estimation of one's own talent's, abilities, and value

2. Having or proceeding from a disinclination to call attention to one's self; retiring or diffident (see synonyms at shy)

3. Observing conventional proprieties in speech behavior or dress

4. Free from showiness or ostentation; unpretentious (see synonyms for plain)

5. Not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance

6. Free from pomp

7. Marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful

8. Marked by simplicity having a humble opinion of yourself... Essentially humble and self-effacing

*Other words affiliated with Modest(y): homely, ordinary, plain, inexpensive, unexceptional, simple, quiet shy, humble, frugal,, blushing, self-conscious, meek, bashful

Modesty: 1. The quality or state of being unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one's abilities.

2. The quality of being relatively moderate, limited or small in amount rate or level.

3. The state or quality of being modest.

4. Reserve or propriety in speech, dress or behavior

5. Lack of pretentiousness; simplicity

After reading these definitions aloud... We discussed how negative the world has made modesty appear and sound.  Almost all of the synonyms for modest* were words that you wouldn't want to represent...  The world wants to make people think that their way is the best, and they will do anything to "prove" it to you...

Next week's post will include the scriptures we discovered while researching the topic of modesty. I look forward to hearing your favorites as we continue on in this study!

Blessings!

~ S*

A Little Behind...in Modesty

Sorry all for the delay on my post this week (and for the lack of one last week).  A lot's been going on in my life the past couple weeks.  Recently while praying, I felt led to begin a Bible Study here at my house, so that is where I have been putting my energy and efforts.  But I don't want to forget about all of you.

I would like to ask you a few questions I am asking the women coming to the Bible Study.  I would love to hear your thoughts during the next couple days, so that I may be able to share them with the group.  What is your definition of modesty?  One person I asked mentioned a person as their definition.  Another said, "To remain pure, not only in actions but in what you choose to wear and your attitude. (Its not only in clothing) being humble..."  What do you think it means?

What scriptures do you know of that tell us to be modest (in all forms of the word)?  Does the Bible talk about it?  Does it matter?  Why do or don't you think so?

What is the opposite of modesty?  Take the time to ponder it all this week! I look forward to your comments, and next week I plan on sharing what I learned!!

Blessings! 

~ S*