Scripture
has some important exhortation for us as women today, who desire to
follow Yahushua, and to bring honour to Him. Let’s
notice the following Scripture:
"The
king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing
is of wrought gold." (Psalms 45:13) This
Scripture reveals to us a very important matter - that for the
King’s daughter, her inward glory has a profound effect on
her outward appearance, and this effect is seen in her clothing.
In
Titus 2:3 we find a clue as to how we can begin to reflect the inward
glory of the King’s daughter:
"The
aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour
as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much
wine, teachers of good things..." (Titus
2:3) The older women are to be a
“link” in our understanding. It is the
older women who are to be reverent in their behavior, and are to teach
what is good. These “older women” carry within
themselves a treasure of wisdom whose price far “above
rubies” (Job 28:18 & Prov.31:10).
However,
we must ask: “Where are these valuable, older women whose
wisdom can be passed down to the younger ladies, who are groping in
darkness for guidance?” Sadly, there is a great
scarcity today of “older women” who have
this treasure of teaching what is GOOD. The kind of "good"
I'm talking about is the "goodness" of a living example, that comes
from understanding and obeying Yahuweh's Word.
We
women have lost so much in our understanding of what it really means to
be a woman of holiness. I agree with Catherine Marshall, who
is known for saying:
The
20th century - the century of progress and emancipation - was the
century when supposedly we women came into our own. But we
have lost something over these past 50 to 100 years--something sweet
and mysterious--something hard to describe--something that the majority
of women do not even know they have lost.
… It seems that many women just refuse to be the
finer, more delicate 'clay' that God intended them to be. (paraphrased)
As
women of Yahuweh, we have a very special dignity and glory that we
should treasure and protect. We have a royal status to
uphold. Our glory and dignity that is growing inwardly, needs
to begin to show forth outwardly, by the way we dress. The
clothes we wear have far more importance than many of us
realize.
It is Yahuweh Himself who is
"clothed with honour and majesty," as we are told in Psalm
104:1. Therefore our clothes are a significant way to
represent the glory and splendor of our Creator, as He lives within us.
As Devorah Channah has said,
It is our careful
and modest outside actions that create an inside awareness that God is
always watching. It is only fitting that our clothes should
display the inner refinement and sensitivities of a Daughter of the
King. … The King’s daughters
should dress pleasantly and graciously in a manner that is refined and
reflects our joy and nobility. There is a strength and
dignity displayed by the effort of wearing elegant clothes.
It reveals an inner royalty and splendor. (paraphrased)
The importance
of this basic, yet neglected, subject of how we dress is a gem of
wisdom that begs for rediscovery. A return to understanding
this gem of wisdom would bring about a great change in our wardrobe,
for both the younger women and the older. However, it
requires a teachable spirit to receive this treasure and begin to make
a change in the way we dress!
Our clothing is a
very personal expression of who we are. Yet it is the
personal areas of our life that the Father wants to touch, revise, and
change.
Would it be beneficial to make this change,
and begin to dress in a more elegant manner? To see what
Scripture says about this, let’s look at an amazing
principle, found in 1 Corinthians 15:46:
"Howbeit
that was not first which is spiritual, but that
which is natural; and afterward that
which is spiritual." (1 Corinthians 15:46) Here
we are told, "first comes the natural, then the spiritual."
It is a foundational principle, that what we do in the natural will
eventually affect the spiritual realm.
Yes, it is
true that the Father works on us from the inside, within our hearts,
and then the outward actions follow:
"...cleanse
first that which is within...that the outside of
them may be clean also..." (Matthew 23:26) However,
it would be well for us to understand that the way we dress (the
natural), will affect our inner growth and understanding (the
spiritual).
Let’s look again at our
Scripture verse in Psalms 45:13. It is here that Yahuweh
describes the inward, as well as outward features of those who desire
to be a daughter of the King:
"The
king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing
is of wrought gold." (Psalms 45:13) When
we dress outwardly, in a dignified, glorious manner (which is our
clothing of wrought gold, in the natural, outward sense), we then
believe and trust the Father that our inner, spiritual understanding
will begin to increase, and make us truly all glorious
within. This is faith in action. By faith, we trust
Him that our outward (natural) actions will affect our inward
(spiritual) growth.
As women, we have the great
honor and unique privilege of displaying many of the qualities of the
Bride of Messiah. May it begin with each one of us - that we
will always dress like a refined woman - a woman who is worthy of
dignity and glory.
Let’s Purpose to wear
nicer clothes for the honor of expressing our glorious nature as a
daughter of the King, and for the honor of being a representative of
the Bride of Messiah. This is such a great privilege!
Let
us begin to show ourselves to be the King’s
Daughters. Let us begin to show a better Outward Reflection -
of our Inward Glory.
-Sister Debbie
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