Cultivating the Spiritual Discipline of Propriety + Letter From the Editor
Propriety is not a word most of us know or use today. It means “characterized by appropriateness and stability.” As children of a holy God, this means behaving in a way that is appropriate for Christians and that doesn’t bring shame to the Gospel.
But all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion. -1 Corinthians 14:40
We can all easily think of examples when that doesn’t happen: it is the Christian who drops curse words in a conversation; the girl who is always wearing revealing clothing that makes even the women look away uncomfortably; or the guy who tells crude jokes. In the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15). Our world today is so used to selling sex, living a “free” lifestyle, speaking in crude language, and privacy is a thing of the past.
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Yet, there is a time and a place for everything. You wouldn’t show up to a black-tie event in jeans and everyone knows a bride wears a white wedding dress on her wedding day. It is what’s appropriate for the occasion. And for us children of God, from how we dress to how we react when someone cuts us off in traffic, our entire life must point people to Jesus.
This discipline of propriety seems especially elevated for us women, especially in the modern age where we’ve pretty much lost the art of femininity. Proverbs 31:25 highlights the traits of a virtuous woman before God’s eyes, including that she is “clothed with strength and dignity.”
How many of us young women today are described as virtuous, elegant, dignified, honorable, strong, kind, and radiant? How many of us know when to keep silent even when we really want to participate in gossip or talk back to someone? How many of us are okay with dressing modestly even if it might mean getting less male attention because all the other girls around you are dressed more scantily and are boisterous? How many of us are quick to lend a helping hand and to serve instead of spending our time in front of the mirror, shopping, hanging out or checking social media? How many of us does the world look at and say, “There is something different about her,” or “Surely she knows Jesus. Look at how she glows. How is she so at peace and joyful?”
“In the same way, that women also adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and propriety; not just with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing.” -1 Timothy 2:9
That is the discipline of propriety for a Godly woman - it is walking through this life with dignity and grace, fully secure in her identity as a royal daughter of a holy God. She is kind, well-mannered, thinks before she speaks, is continually learning with a humble spirit, dresses tastefully, and carries herself with confidence. She makes the Christian life seem appealing and beautiful, in a way that inspires and motivates others to embrace what is lovely.
This is an excerpt from our current small group devotional study, Habits of Devotion, an 8-week study on spiritual disciplines, including Bible study, prayer, fasting, propriety, submission, steadfastness and rest.
Click here to download the entire study and join our last live Bible study of the year here.
We recently made all of our devotionals and Bible studies like the one above available to you for free, which means we no longer have any revenue streams to support this ministry and rely solely on donations.
If you’ve been encouraged by Tirzah and would like to see us continue in 2020, would you consider making a donation of any amount to support the costs of maintaining and growing this ministry?
Our most pressing need right now is to cover the annual hosting fees for the website which are due this month and we also have a few projects in store for 2020 that require financial support.
All donations go towards covering the cost of maintaining and growing the website and related services (domain name, hosting, email services, stock photos, etc…). All of our writers and staff members volunteer their time currently and are not compensated for their time and efforts.
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. -Luke 6:38
Thank you for your continued support of the Tirzah ministry - for every article you read, every social media post you like and comment on, everything from our ministry you share with a friend, every dollar you donate, every Bible study you read, every small group you joined and participated in, every email you sent or read from us, but most of all, thank you for the prayers. This community would not be here without each one of you, so pease know you are valued and prayed over.
The Lord has been good to us and if even one person is saved and changed to become more like Jesus through this ministry, it is worth every prayer, every minute, every penny poured into this ministry. We are co-laborers in this. Every one of us.
For me personally, it has been the greatest privilege of my life to steward this community, to encourage you in your walk with the Lord, to pray for you and to point you to Jesus through this corner of the internet.
May the Lord reward you a hundredfold for your generosity and support of this ministry.
With love,
Founder + Editor in Chief