Proverbs 31:30 helps define reverent behavior when it sums up the life of the godly woman: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised". A woman who fears or reverences the Lord will act accordingly in her daily life. She is careful with her speech and considers her actions because her love for God hems in her behavior.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 helps explain why...God says, "I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for making a claim of godliness."
What does this mean? When we make a claim of godliness (calling ourselves Christians or followers of Jesus Christ) then our lives should line up with our proclamation. Our reverent behavior authenticates our words that we are followers of Jesus.
Understanding the debt of love and gratitude we ow to our heavenly father helps motivate us to obey and love Him more readily and faithfully. We will still find it difficult to obey the Lord, but the desire to show our love and gratitude to Him overrides our tendency to rebel.
Reverent behavior begins with a reverent mind. What we think about something determines how you respond or act. So it is essential we think on the right things.
All reverent behavior begins with:
1. A true love for God
2. Reading the Word of God
3. Seeking first the kingdom and His righteousness
4. Renewal of the mind
The thoughts that lead to reverent behavior comes from mentally marinating ourselves in the things of God and that marinating occurs when we set aside time to read, study, meditate on, or memorize portions of scripture and prayerfully seek to apply what we learn to our lives.
When the Word of God permeates our hearts and minds, our behavior will naturally become reverent. The more our minds are filled with God, the more our behavior will reflect Him.
Be Blessed
I have to admit that I am a "reality tv show" aholic. And a few weeks back I joined in on FB commenting about one of the shows. I stated how bad I wanted to beat up one of the ladies on the show. Now, not thinking about this blog, my journey to salvation, or anything else, I saw no harm in my comment because I wasn't cursing or anything like that. However, I had one of my good friends and sisters in Christ to check me on my comment. All she did was reference what I had previously posted on my blog and reminded me that that was not the character I wanted to portray. I was offended at first because she knows I have a sense of humor and I felt she should have known it was a joke but it didn't take long for me to understand that she was absolutely right. This portion of my studies proved that point. I need to always be reverent so that my character and behavior lines up with the Word of God. Thank you Shayna. Much love.
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