1st John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
This passage of scripture teaches us that the standards, morals, and principles which guide the thoughts and actions of those who do not know Christ, should not be the criteria by which we live, nor should we ever be ashamed of the gospel of Christ in the face of opposing views to the contrary. One of the reasons for this timely counsel is because the laws and statutes which govern God's kingdom are eternal in nature, and therefore are never subject to change, compromise or amendments, and when as Christians we subscribe to the scriptural principles, God is then able to develop in each of us, sterling characters that are not subject to circumstances or popular opinion. This sacred truth is clearly stated in the Bible. Let's read:
Malachi 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
Christians should never become the sport of circumstances by being influenced by a majority opinion, neither should we subscribe to fashions and norms simply because they are trendy and popular in the eyes of the world. The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, cover the entire spectrum of activities and thoughts which consume the time and interests of the secularly minded person, and unless a total surrender to Christ is made, these activities can never cease or be uprooted, and there will always be a longing after that which is intrinsically carnal, temporal, and mundane in nature.
This is the situation which had developed in the hearts of many of the Hebrews, causing them to complain of the straight way that leads to eternal life, and in reflecting on their experiences, the apostle Paul enumerates several of the lusts and prevailing customs, to which they fell a prey as a result. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
The irony of this situation which had obtained in the hearts of the Hebrews is that the Bible expressly states that they were baptized, and were partakers of the teachings and Spirit of Christ, yet for some reason they seemed unwilling to surrender the ideologies, customs, and practices of the heathen nations around them, and so, after many years of trying to rehabilitate and convert them, God was left no choice but to let them have what they insisted on choosing, which then led to their spiritual demise. Let's read:
Psalms 106:13 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
In our day there exists many of the same temptations, enticing us to live and think like the world. Idolatry in its various forms and hues have become all too familiar to many Christians, and since by beholding we become changed, the more we we indulge the prevailing lusts and customs, is the more we will be sucked into the moral barrenness that has enveloped the world like a pall of death. It is now generally the norm to dress in a revealing manner, where a persons private parts are exposed to the view of the general public, and everywhere we may go, some form or variation of nakedness is to be seen.
This not only true for the night clubs and bars where folks are given up to moral abandon, but the disease is also to be found at the neighborhood grocery, the park, the work place and even in the churches, where it has now become popular to dress in such a manner as to attract the attention of the opposite sex, by invoking sensual thoughts and desires, thereby removing one's focus from off of Christ, who indeed should be the center of all attraction. And all of this is done either ignorantly or deliberately, merely because it is socially acceptable to do so, and very many Christians either do not know, or take into consideration what the Bible has to say on this common practice. Let's read:
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God. 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. 17 "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter ...... it is wickedness".
Now even though the passages above were given in the context of actual sexual relations, yet the Biblical principle of dressing modestly remains the same, for whatever we do or wherever may go, we are never to be an accessory to evil, by awakening sensual thoughts and desires by the way we dress or expose ourselves to others, other than our spouses. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us back to the high ideals set forth by Christ, for they are given with our best eternal interest and spiritual well-being in mind. Let's read:
Romans 12:I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
May God grant us His grace and mercy, so that the love of worldly customs and practices would not exert a withering influence on our relationship with Christ. "Good night" and God bless!