A Modest Heart

Modesty gets a bad reputation. And some of that is totally fair! People have weaponized modesty to shame others, to tell them their bodies are sinful, or even to blame people who have been the victims of sexual assault. But this is not what Jesus intended for modesty. At its core, modesty is a heart posture. It’s a mindset that says, “I am fully satisfied in who I am in Jesus, so I don’t need to draw attention to myself by the way I dress. My identity comes from Christ, not the approval of others.” Paul addresses this issue in a letter to Timothy. Wealthy women in Timothy’s church were attending prayer meetings in their finest gold and jewels, flaunting their wealth to bring attention to themselves. He tells them that’s not the point of their prayer meetings—instead, they are gathering to “pray for all people” and to “ask God to help them” (1 Timothy 2:1). These Christians’ hearts were focused on themselves, not the people they were praying for. Instead of rejoicing in their message to the world, that “there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5-6), they were concerned about their social standing. When our hearts are fixed on Jesus, He shifts our priorities. Jesus became human not to gain human approval but to save us. He died on the cross for our sin and rose again from the dead to unite us to Himself and the Father. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit, transforming us into who He calls us to be. If we are satisfied and secure in His incredible, ridiculous love for us, why would we dress ourselves for human approval? Satan will continue to tempt us, trying to get us to selfishly, fearfully crave human attention instead of clinging to our security in Christ. But, in those moments, we can look to Jesus, who embodied perfect modesty as He hung naked on the cross, and we can know that His love is the only thing that truly satisfies. • Taylor Eising • As Christians, we glorify God, not ourselves. What are ways your life points others to Jesus? • When we are secure in Christ, we are free to obey Him out of love and gratitude instead of trying to live up to the world’s standards. How does this freedom demonstrate the gospel? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Philippians 2:1-13; 1 Timothy 2:1-9, 1 Peter 3:3-4