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By Stacy R. Miller
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The Extreme Makeover
Part 1
One night, out of sheer boredom, I started watching the "Extreme Makeover" show. People come on the show to have radical changes made to the features on their body which they don't like. Nose jobs, plastic surgery, enhancing the lips, breast implants, and liposuction seem to be quite popular choices. It occurred to me that we, as Christians, can also be in need of a 'makeover' in a spiritual sense.
How many of us could use a nose job because we tend to stick our noses into other people's business? II Th. 3:11 refers to this as being a busybody. Titus 2:5 gives us clear instruction to be busy at home, leaving the inference that while we are to be busy, we are not to be busy bodies.
Do our lips need enhanced? We are admonished in II Th. 4:12 to live a quiet life, minding our own business. Having a lip job done may require that we walk away from certain conversations. If we stay there listening, it's too easy to fall into the trap of wanting to add own opinions and judgments. When we choose to walk away from that conversation, we end up carrying our integrity with us, rather than carrying guilt over having loose lips.
In Col. 3:8, it is clear that we aren't to be using our lips for filthy language. James 1:26 gives us a more sobering message, stating that if we are unable to keep a tight rein on our lips, our religion is worthless. However, Prov. 13:13 tells us that if we guard our lips, we guard our life.
When God does a lip job on us, His desire is for us to have words that are like choice silver. (Pr. 25:11) He desires that we declare His praises through our lips, and to keep our lips from sinning. (Ps. 34:1, 39:1, 119:71)
We've looked at what flows out of our lips, but what about that which comes into our lips? In the church, it appears that gluttony is the acceptable sin. So many of us who call ourselves Christians are either obese, or overweight to some degree. We are bound by food addictions, which start a vicious cycle, leading us to be bound to physical ailments all because we have a lack of restraint where food is concerned.
In continuing our 'lip enhancement,' God wants us to find that His words are sweet to our taste. (Ps. 119:103) In Jer. 15:16, we find that when God's Word came, he ate them. Do we take time daily to 'eat' of God's Word? Many times, we wouldn't dream of skipping a meal or our afternoon snack, yet we don't hesitate to neglect our spiritual food!
One of the most popular procedures on "Extreme Makeover" is to have breast implants done. While God doesn't do 'boob jobs,' He can do a circumcision on our heart, which is in that same vicinity. (Rom. 2:29)
We may find ourselves speaking things that are sinful. The root cause is from a sinful heart. (Mt. 12:34) Prov. 27:19 tells us that just like water reflects a face, a (wo)man's heart reflects the (wo)man. We find that where our heart is, our treasure lies. (Mt. 6:21) Do we need to find different treasures? Do we need to lay hold of treasures that moth and rust won't corrupt?
Jer. 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, but God is able to give us a new heart. (Ez. 36:26) He can help us to have a pure, undivided heart. (Ps. 51:10, 86:11)
The Extreme Makeover
Part 2
On the show, almost every person wants to have liposuction done, removing that unwanted flesh. Do we have flesh that God would like to remove from us? Paul describes the battle with unwanted flesh so clearly in Rom. 7:15-25. He tells us in Rom. 8:5-16 that when our flesh is in control, we have our minds upon what our flesh desires, and the end result is death.
After a person has liposuction done, they will go through intensive body building to sculpt their body. God desires for us to do some 'body building' also. He wants us to carry one another's burdens. (Gal. 6:2) We are to encourage one another. (Heb. 10:25) He wants us to speak kind words to each other. (Pr. 12:25) We are also to be devoted to one another. (Rom. 12:10)
After the body has been sculpted to satisfaction, they take the person out for a wardrobe makeover. For the women, they always manage to pick out items that show cleavage. While there is nothing wrong with dressing nicely, and in a way which pleases our husband, we don't need to be letting anyone else see our cleavage. That is for his eyes only! Our dresses shouldn't be so short that when we sit down, others can see our panties, nor should they be so short that our thighs are showing when we cross our legs. Again, that is for your husband's eyes only!
One of the major differences between men and women is that men are turned on by sight. If we, as Christian women, are wearing clothing that shows cleavage, or makes us look voluptuous, we are becoming a stumbling block to other men. I Cor. 8:9 tells us not to let our freedom become a stumbling block to others. Paul even said that if eating meat was a stumbling block to someone that he wouldn't eat it. Although he had the freedom to eat it, the law of love said that he should give up that freedom, so as to not cause another person to stumble. In Rom. 14, he reminds us that none of us lives to (her)self alone. (verse 7) He also admonishes us to make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification. (verse 19) If we are dressing in an immodest way, we aren't making the effort to live in peace and mutual edification because we are causing the thoughts of other men to be lustful.
© 2003, Stacy R. Miller
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