 |
 |
Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
This Preacher is Angry!
It’s in all the papers, news reports. “Austin Teacher Nude on Website” “School Dance Cancelled. Cause: Inappropriate Behavior”
Let me begin by admitting that my years affect my thinking, and for some the following thoughts will be hopelessly outdated. But those who respect God and His Word feel as the prophet Hosea did (4:1, 12:2), having a “controversy” with today’s “standards” of behavior.
We have known for a long time that the sexual content in movies and on TV is increasing and the industry is not planning to slow down or back up.
We see how some young girls and women dress in public. Even secular sources are deeply disturbed about where this is leading. Yes, this old fashioned preacher is concerned, and I’m not ashamed to say, “I’m mad!”
Can nothing be done about the casual, blatant immodesty so common today? In just the last few weeks I have seen more female flesh exposed, even in houses of worship, than ever before. Yes, you can tell, I am angry at what is happening today. Something can and must be done about it. There may be little we can do about our nation, but there is much that can and should be done among ourselves.
We know God “made them male and female..” Mark 10:6, including the attraction of male to female and female to male. We understand why this was done, and God said “It was very good,” Genesis 1:31. However, man has sullied that which God said was “very good,“ and we must not overlook the fact that God said males and females must stay within the bounds of biblical standards, which includes modesty, purity and chastity, 1 Timothy 2, 1 Peter 3.
The movie and TV moguls care not for biblical morality. They are telling young females not to be ashamed to show off their body. As one actress said, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” Do we really believe that what gives a female value in our society is the fact that she has a shapely body?
I commend our parents here, for you are guiding your guys and gals in the direction of purity, following scriptural guidelines for daily living. One thing we know is that God’s ways are the best ways, lead to the best destinations and leave the right influence in our own path and that of our friends and classmates.
But we better watch out, for Satan has “devices” capable of taking even the most determined Christian boy and girl. Parents cannot afford to let down their guard for one moment, using the “sword of the Spirit, the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) as our weapon against Satan. If you “resist” Satan, he will “flee from you,” James 4:7. Yes, some sanity can be recovered by looking once more to the Creator and His Word.
What a person decides to wear – man or woman – says something about them. When a young woman adorns herself in tight fitting, sexy, flesh revealing garments she is saying that she wants us to notice her body, that she is “available.” She may not think that is what she is saying, but to that young man whose testosterone is on the climb, she is saying, “Take a look at what I’ve got.”
I may be getting older, but God’s standards of behavior have not changed. Besides, I have been in too many locker rooms in my years, and I know what many young men are seeing, saying and thinking.
When young girls wear those shorts, those low cut necklines, those short skirts or tight, low-riding jeans, they are “making a statement,” even if they don’t realize it. The commercials on TV that bring out scantily clad females are selling beer, not Bibles. Does that not tell us something?
WHAT CAN WE DO?
- Moms and Dads, make up your mind that you are going to do what parents are supposed to do: “..bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4.
- Moms, you know what’s going on. Don’t back away from your responsibility. Talk to your kids.
- Dads, make it clear that you will neither pay for those garments nor allow your girls to wear them!
- Guys, don’t be afraid to let that girl know she doesn’t need to dress that way in order to be somebody.
- Girls, if parents don’t give you some guidance, be mature enough to think about what your clothes are “saying.”
- Preachers, find the gumption to “preach the word,” and don’t wait until winter to do it, 2 Timothy 4:2.
- Christians, don’t hesitate to tell merchants that you will not bless their stores with your check book. Parents are telling me they cannot find anything in the stores that is fit to wear. Tell the sales people what you are looking for and why.
We can have a part in solving this problem. Aunts, grandparents, sisters uncles, brothers, friends. Don’t sit on your thumbs doing nothing. Help each other to be God’s people. You will be glad, not angry.
Carl B. Garner
|
|
|
|
“Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold or of putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
|
|
|
|
|
Worth the Trip
With swollen knees, my brother kept on walking. With blisters on my feet, I kept on climbing. We walked and walked and walked. We climbed and crawled, exploring the caves and ruins of ancient Israel. We scaled the summits of Masada, Nebo, and Olivet. Heroes of the Bible had once walked in these places. The month-long class was challenging, rigorous, and costly, but it was worth the trip. It reminded me of a far more important journey which happened nearly two thousand years ago.
According to the Bible, magi from the east traveled for many days across a rough and rugged land to the small community village of Bethlehem. If traveling by foot, their journey could have taken as much as thirty days to complete: a trek no doubt fraught with danger and difficulty amidst the primitive and rugged territory of Palestine. But at last their labor had seen its reward as their weary eyes fell upon the baby Jesus and His virgin mother. The magi “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:10). They had been in the presence of the “king of kings and the Lord of lords.” They were looking upon a child Who would save the world from sin and become the Prince of peace. They had bowed in worship before the only begotten Son of God. Their journey, though costly and rigorous, was worth the trip.
The pilgrimage of the magi inspires me. Every Sunday when my family and I travel to worship, we find ourselves in the presence of Christ our Savior. In songs of praise we laud His glorious life, and in prayer we utter His sweet name. His story pierces our hearts. His message admonishes our lives. His words purify our souls. We “rejoice with exceeding great joy.” We leave with greater resolve and determination. At the next period of worship, we will seek Him yet again. To be in the presence of the Savior is truly worth the trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
