Saturday, January 17, 2004

 

Dear Family:

 

Recently a list of the best and worst dressed was aired on ET (Entertainment Tonight). Those who were considered the best dressed were dressed with less modesty and good taste than those considered worst dressed. Those with less material for the under and outer garments were considered best and those less revealing were considered worst. Conspicuously absent to be considered was anyone from Japan, China, Iraq, Iran, Palestine or even Israel. The reason of course has to be that the network did not want to further exploit these women whose modesty is demanded by their religious belief. I suppose it is the elevated degree of civility that these best dressers possess that gives them the intellectual qualities necessary to create such things of beauty for the world to see displayed on spectacular carcasses.

   
Deut 11:18-19
18 "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 "You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (NKJ)

When God instructed Moses to make clothing for the priest, one of the items was frontlets or phylacteries [fie LACK tuh rees]-- small square leather boxes or cases, each containing four strips of parchment inscribed with quotations from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament (Ex. 13:1-10; 13:11-16; Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21 ). While the practice was literal in biblical times where the phylacteries were worn by every male Israelite above 13 years of age during morning prayer and the priest at all times, it was symbolic to them and is symbolic to Christians today. 

 

Our manner, our action and our dress send a message to the world around us of who and what we are. They tell the world something about what we believe, what our values are and what is most important to us. Ninety percent of the people we come in contact with never hear us speak, they only read the message we send through the way we dress and our demeanor.

 

God told the children of Israel to love Him and to remember His word (Deut. 6:4-9) and to teach these things to their children. Not only did He tell them to do it, He also told them how to do it. (Joshua 1:8) gives us the secret to success in life and the key to happiness. In (Deut. 6:20-23) He added why it is so important to follow these principles.
 

If all that your children learn in life are the messages and instructions you give through your actions and dress, then who and what will your children be when they are your age or 10 or 20 years older than you are today? What will their image of God be? What will their fundamental values be?

 

There are many other scriptures which you should read. Please take the time to do so.

 

Today we are in a war against terrorism. There is no real peace anywhere in the world but the Bible says, "Prov 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (NKJ) ." Could this be the answer to peace in the world? Yes, and it could come today if mankind just fulfilled this one simple statement. It could happen today but it has to begin with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

 

You can have a personal relationship with Christ. It is free for the asking. All you have to do is ask Him to come into your life and make you alive spiritually. Ask Him to make your heart His home here on earth. He will  and your life will never be the same.
 

If you have started a relationship with Christ, even if it is not the first, why not drop me a note via email and share your experience with me. You may ask for prayer about your decision as well.

 

Love ya:

 

Dad