​42. To Obey and Abide

Personal conviction.

I came across a YouTube channel where a woman was convinced makeup and jewelry were evil, and as real women of God, we should stop wearing them.

I applaud her personal conviction. And personally, I’ve grown out my hair and wear far less make up than I used to. I’m more conservative in my dress nowadays. In fact, the other day, we were looking at pre-Jesus photos of me, and Ava raised an eyebrow at my affinity for low-cut tops.

What can I say? This life’s a journey.

What I didn’t like about that YouTube video, however, was this call to a kind of makeshift sisterhood where we all act, think, and look alike.

I’m too much of a renegade for something like that. And honestly, Paul isn’t too keen on the idea either (Romans 14:1-23).

We are all different parts of one body. We play different roles and are gifted with different abilities and find joy in different aspects of this life. And God is using it all, burning convictions in our bellies that are to be kept “between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves,” as Paul states a little later in verse twenty-two.

Between yourself and God. A quiet, personal decision to obey and abide.

I’m not saying you can’t be a good influence and help a brother or sister who seems a bit misguided. But ultimately, their master is Jesus, not you.

We are born alone and die alone. And we will one day be alone, face-to-face with our Maker. So let us be wise in the way we worship the Lord and in the ways we assess the choices of His children.