20 | May | 2015 | Of Common Sense

To My Reading Audience

I debated whether I should write this article because of my concern that someone will read these remarks and take things in the wrong way, and thus become offended. What I have said here is not intended to hurt or offend anyone, but rather my purpose is to shed some light on a subject seems overlooked in some instances. The subject that I discuss here is modesty. The crux of the treatise addresses women, but the remarks could equally be applied to the men. Modesty is not just for women. It is applicable for both genders. It is my sincere hope that my few brief comments will cause people to stop and think.

An Open Address

To the women of the world, please know that there are still some kind hearten, decent, respectable, honorable men out there. Every man who smiles at you, or starts speaks to you, is not necessarily interested in taking you home and becoming intimate with you.

Be honest with yourselves. There are some of you who push the envelope to the point of almost begging and coercing a man to become promiscuous with you. From any respectable man’s point of view, that doesn’t speak very highly of your character. There are names used for women who show such behaviors, and I fail to believe that any respectable woman would appreciate being referred to by one of those names. Therefore, you must learn to use a little wisdom and discernment in how you present yourselves.

It is not my intent to demean or degrade anyone, but we all know some women flaunt their bodies and peddle there wares as if they were having some sort of auction sale with the highest bidder winning the “prize.” In those instances, they are the ones who are extending an open invitation for the troubles that are surely to follow.

Here is some friendly advice. Please take it or leave it, the choice is yours. When you get dressed, take a good long look in the mirror and be honest with yourself about what you are wearing. What message does the way that you have decided to dress send to those who will see you? If you have to second guess whether or not what you are wearing is proper – GO CHANGE!

You cannot expect to dress like a “woman of the night” and not expect some men, not all, to treat you as the same. Keep in mind that we also live in a day and age when we have almost literally returned to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, and so the way that you dress may also capture the attention of other women who may have some interest in you for their pleasures as well. Think about that. Is that what you really want?

The way you act and present yourself can often dictate the type of crowd that you wish to associate with. Your speech can also betray you and send the wrong message to those who hear it. In short, you cannot play with fire and not expect to get burned!

Here is an important news flash for some of you – not all men appreciate women who have no self-respect and are constantly parading their half-naked bodies in front of them, or who incessantly try to entice them to enter their lairs. Thank God for honorable men – men of integrity and character.

My point is simply this – RESPECT BEGINS WITH YOU. You need to have self-control and self-respect. If you enjoy being treated like a “woman of the evening” then this message is not for you. Please ignore it in its totality. Otherwise, please realize that you are a person of worth – not some rag doll, or the object of some person’s perversions – but a human being, with a beautiful soul.

In closing may I just say, gentlemen, lest you have become too comfortable in accepting the remarks that I have made here, let’s put ourselves into this equation. Modesty is not just for the women! The same things that I have said of the women applies equally to us. Just reverse the gender in the above comments and apply the same rules.

Each of us are a person of worth. We must learn to have self-control, self-esteem, and self-respect. We are all special sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and should be treated as such, but how others treat us and see us, starts within ourselves.

Defender of Truth

Be it known unequivocally that I am a defender of truth – that is who I am, that is who I hope to be when this life’s journey has come to an end. I dare not sit comfortably in my easy chair with my legs crossed, or lay sound asleep on a flowery bed of ease as wrong continues to prevail in the world around me. With all my heart and soul, that is not what I believe my Father in Heaven has called me to do, but rather He has called me to be a clarion voice of warning to all that I come in contact with, be they friend, family, and yes, even my foes. For that I will never make any apologies, at any time, to any person, for any reason.

The bottom line is simply this: Truth is truth and will prevail regardless of who believes it, who accepts it, or even who rejects it. Truth stands on its own merits. It does not necessarily depend on the auspicious support of any one person or any particular group of people to be declared as truth. We all have choices to make in life – whether we will choose right or wrong – whether we will be defenders of truth, or avid supporters of malicious falsities, malice, discontent, and disharmony in the world.

As for me, I pray that God will grant me continual wisdom and discernment as I attempt to endure to the end, and even to my dying breath, to always be one voice, even if perhaps at times one lone voice, which will always be found proclaiming truth to those who will listen, and especially to those who reject its message.

Tear Down These Walls

It saddens me that in the year 2015 there are still people who live in a world that in their mind will forever be partisan – that is, there is a proverbial wall that has been erected. On one side of that wall lives their own race whom they believe in all their finite wisdom is the superior race and should always be in control. On the other side of that wall lives all of those whom they consider inferior and subservient. Sadly, and yes, there are some even in my family line, who detest the very thought of people of various races living in harmony with one another and having any type of relationship. It does not matter if that relationship is a casual friendship, a business partnership, or, dare I be so bold to even mention, a marital relationship.

Yes, there was a time in our history when that way of thinking was prevalent and often dictated a person’s “place” in society. However, over time, there have been many people of all different races and nationalities who have fought to dispel partisanship by working side by side to build bridges of hope and unity for the human race. These visionary builders realized that one particular race of people is not superior to another, and in their mind’s eye they could see the day when all people would come to the knowledge and understanding that no one person or group of persons is better than, or superior to another, regardless of ethnicity, social status, or station in life.

No, we are not better than or superior to one another, but we are uniquely different, for that is the way that the Master designed us. We should not allow those differences to incessantly drive a wedge between us, but rather, those differences should become the adhesive that binds us as brothers and sisters who are able to stand together, and reason together on common ground, and to sit down together at the welcome table of brotherhood in the bonds of love and understanding.

It is those differences that should cause us to want to tear down the wall, and not continually want to add more bricks and mortar to fortify it, for we must come to realize that we are all in this together, and we need one another. As has been wisely stated, “Together we stand. Divided we fall!”

On the Matter of Religion and Beliefs

When it comes to matters of religion, we should not allow the behavior of some to dictate the validity of the religion. A few bad apples should be deemed the minority, and not the voice for the majority. Thus, we must look beyond the behaviors and misdeeds of the few, and join our hearts with the many who strive to live what they teach and preach.

On the matter of beliefs, if a person claims to be religious or a member of a particular religious sect, then he ought to live by the tenets of his religion, and set the proper example before others. Either what his religion teaches is true or it is not. Either he believes in the practices of his religion or he does not. There can be no riding of the fence – there is no middle ground. Believing or acting religious or pious only when in agreement with something, or when things are favorable, can be viewed as both hypocritical and sacrilegious.

The True Master of My Destiny

I am not in this world to live up to the full expectations of others, therefore I refuse to allow anyone to dictate to me what I should or should not be doing with the life that I have been given. Anyone is free to make suggestions and offer constructive and thoughtful criticism, but no one is the master of my destiny. I serve only one TRUE Master, and it is He who wrote the beginning chapters of my life, and it is He who knows what the last chapters will say.

I have found in my young 56 years of life that oftentimes others raise the bar higher and impose stricter standards for others than for themselves, and when people do not measure up to their predetermined expectations, they are found quick to ridicule and judge those people, and in some instances label them as failures or as nobody.

I am not a nobody, nor am I a failure, nor will I ever accept being labeled as a nobody or failure by someone else. In my Heavenly Father’s eyes I am somebody. I am one of His children. And if I become a failure on this pilgrim journey, it will not be because others have deemed it so, but rather because I have failed myself.

I am not here to strive to win the praises and accolades of men for that is not my goal. My goal is to live my life as pleasing unto the Father, and if I do as He commands and endure to the end, I will have truly succeeded in this life, regardless of what the world thinks or believes. My ultimate goal is to hear Him one day say, “Well done good and faithful servant!” There are no earthly rewards that man could ever give me that will ever compare to the eternal rewards that will be mine when I return home and meet the Master face to face.

On Being a True Christian

Being a true Christian, a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, goes far beyond the passivity in our lives. Being a true Christian centers around our activity and involvement in helping to build up the Kingdom of God on earth. Simply putting a proverbial check mark in the box each week because one shows up for Church on Sunday is not enough.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of action. The Lord expects His children to be busy about their Father in Heaven’s business. The Gospel is not all about you, or all about me, it is, however, all about serving others. The Savior’s entire ministry was not self-centered, but rather it was people-centered. He came to be a servant, not to sit and wait to be served.

Let us not be so overly concerned about what we think other “Christians” are doing or not doing, but let us get busy and go to work in the vineyard and do those things that WE should be doing.

At the end of the day the question that will be asked of each of us by the Master is not what did someone else do to help build up my Kingdom, but rather the question will be, “What did YOU do to help build up my Kingdom?”