Modesty

1. Modesty and the Christian – 25th November 2015
“I alsowant the women to dress modestly,withdecency andpropriety, adorningthemselves,not with
elaborate hairstylesor goldor pearls or expensiveclothes, 10
butwith gooddeeds, appropriatefor
women whoprofess to worshipGod”(1Timothy2:9 –10).
The readermust knowthat here we are not talkingfavorablyof the so-called"modesty"thatisforced
on womeninmanycountriesorreligions.AsChristianswe wholeheartedlycondemnsuchoppression.It
referstowomenwhohave the freedomtodressmodestlyasa source of convictionwhichwe canlearn
in1 Timothy 2:9-10 as statedabove.
Modestyisa humancharacteristicwhichmayalternatelybe viewedasa virtue ora weakness.Howitis
viewedultimatelydependsonyourperspective.There are several definitionsformodestyinmost
dictionaries;itismostoftenrenderedashumility,shyness,orsimplicity.Intoday’ssocietyanyof these
definitionsof modestymaybe seenasnegative since we oftenfocuson self;self esteem, self respect,
and self expression.Nevertheless,amodest Christiancanbe seenasa personpossessingpositive
characteristics. Insucha personhumilityneednotbe adeficit:butasa person whorecognizes hisorshe
ownstrengthsandweaknesses andwhohasbecome comfortablewithoutfeelingany competitionwith
others.Theyare contentto interactwithothersfullycognizantof whotheyare,functioningwithinthe
boundariesof theirowncapabilities,orlimitations, withconfidence.One wholivesandbehavesin
simplicityquietlyperformsdailytasksandroutineswithoutthe trumpetblownbefore.There isnoneed
to call attention.Modestyactsgently,butwithnolessperfectionorcare as one whomay constantly
announce theirdeeds.
A life of modestyislivedtowardsGodandeach other.TowardsGod, we recognize Himasthe source of
all our gifts,abilities,andstrength.We know thatwe can do nothingapart fromHim, that we are fully
dependentuponHimforeverythingwe need.Asaresultwe acknowledgeHimineveryundertakingfully
trustingHiswisdom,thatHe will alwaysdowhatisbestforus. Towardseach otherwe show our
modestybyhonoringothersbefore ourselves. AsaChristianwe mustlearnto displaymodestyinlife. To
live amodestlife we mustlearnquietness,humility,andsimplicity whichare key valuestobe grasped
and soughtafter.The Bible teachesus:“Therefore,as God’schosenpeople, holyand dearlyloved,
clothe yourselveswith compassion,kindness,humility,gentlenessandpatience”(Colossians3:12).
The modestpersondoesnotneedtodraw undue attentionsto one’s self. We can readwhat Jesussaid
inMatthew 23:6 -7, “… theylove the place of honorat banquetsand the most importantseats in the
synagogues;7
they loveto be greeted with respect inthe marketplacesand to be called‘Rabbi’by
others”.As Christianswe donotfightand compete butwillinglyallow otherstohave the place of
prominence. We canlearnfurtherin Philippians2:3, “Don'tbe selfish;don'tlive to make a good
impressiononothers. Be humble,thinkingofothers as better than yourself.” We mustbe confident
that our ownabilitieswillopenanynecessarydoorforusand so quietly,give ourselvestothe pursuitof
excellence. AsChristians we mustalwaysrememberthatwe are representativesforChristwherever we
go, inwhateverwe do.Whenwe excel we donotneedto glorify ourselvesbutGodwhogave us our
ability. We canlearnof a great understandingforusin 1 Corinthians4:7, “Whatmakes youbetter than
anyoneelse? Whatdo you have that Godhasn'tgivenyou? And ifall you have is fromGod,why boast
as thoughyou have accomplishedsomethingonyourown?”

2. As Christians we canlearnthatmodesty can be obtainedbyadoptingthe mindsetof JesusChrist.
Philippians2says, “Yourattitudeshouldbe the same that ChristJesus had.Thoughhe wasGod,he did
not demandand clingto hisrights as God.He made himselfnothing;he took the humblepositionofa
slave andappeared inhumanform. And inhumanform he obedientlyhumbledhimselfeven further
by dyinga criminal'sdeathon a cross” (Philippians2:5-8).
Due to the wayof the worldtodaymostpeople donotnaturallypossessan attitude of modestyas
characterizedbyhumilityandsimplicity asrequiredfromusbyJesus.Due tothe competitivenature of
the worldwe instinctivelyseekrecognitionandattention.We wantotherstohonorus forwho we are
and whatwe have done.However,if we follow afterChrist we mustlearnto divestourselvesof all self-
seekingandsubmitourselvestoGod.Livinga life of modestyisapersonal determination. Itmaybe
quite difficultinitiallybutwithtime andhavingJesusasourrole model,we canreachthat pinnacle…and
that makesthe difference fromothers. We purposefully mustsetouttobe content,patientlywaiting
for God to give the promisedrewards,whichdocome,eveninthislife we face inthe worldtoday.
Deepinour heartswe must knowthat God is faithful;He seesall thatwe do. It isthe deep
understandingandourfaithinGod that will enableustobe modestratherthan be arrogance innature.
Contraryto the modernbelief thatwe allow ourselvestobecome doormatsandcastoffs if we adopt
modesty,those whohonorGodand live humblybefore Himhave Hispromise uponwhichtodepend.
We can learnthisin 1 Peter 5:6, “Sohumbleyourselves underthe mightypower of God,andin his
goodtime he will honoryou.”
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.”
(1 Peter 5:6).
“I alsowant the women to dress modestly,withdecency andpropriety, adorning themselves, not with
elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10
but with good deeds, appropriate for
women who profess to worship God”(1 Timothy 2:9 –10).