Luke 14:28-29King James Version (KJV)
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
This passage can be applied even in our daily lives and even in the Christian journey.And no-one could have said it better than Christ.I believe it would be wise for us to take heed to this advice even when making decisions concerning our Christian life.I personally believe it is not wise to rush into something-whether good-until we have a proper understanding of what it entails and the risks it comes with.
By this I mean,it is better for us to study a particular doctrine prayerfully before claiming we believe it or we accept it,lest we fall along the way and discourage many.Not that Christianity is about making claims of our belief over certain doctrines.And maybe that's the problem-these days we seem to claim instead of living it.
But back to my point.There's been 2 incidences where I've seen 2 sisters claiming to be following the dress reform.But after a few months they went back to their old clothes and started uploading recent pics where they had forsaken the dress reform doctrine.This is saddening :( and prayer I believe can avail much;but it has taught me that one should never follow a certain doctrine if it's not to please God.The moment you start living Christianity for others INSTEAD of God then you've completely missed it.It then becomes difficult to keep up because all that you do is a show and it's not genuinely coming from a heart that is converted and seeks to please God.
What's even sad is you now disappoint others who were looking up to you :( and some may conclude God's ways are not fair.So,study it for yourself and be convicted and ask the Lord to give you strength to carry it till the end.When you've studied for yourself then it's easier to even explain why you are doing it instead of saying "pastor so and so says this" or "the church says it".What happens when the same pastor comes back and says it's okay to wear knee length dresses all because his wife wears them?And what happens when the church compromises to the point where false doctrines come to the church?Our safety is doing what God says and doing it for him.
If you do it for him:even when piercing words are said,you'll not fall.Yes,it will hurt and discouragement will come;some will even misunderstand you and call you names BUT if doing God's will is your priority,even such things will not shake you because of the firm foundation you have.
And again some sisters fall into the trap of pleasing the bf to the extent that God isn't the reason for doing it.But then what happens when you break-up?You go back to your old ways and you become a false witness.It's sad.As much as it's ok to try to please one another in a relationship-it all should be based on a "thus saith the Lord" because God's word is a solid foundation which cannot be moved and what a blessing it is to stand on God's Word.
Sad thing is some of us fall into the trap of seeking to be understood but that's the thing about Christianity:it can never be understood,unless one studies and accepts the truth for themselves.Look at Christ.Even his OWN brothers misunderstood him-even though they were of the same church.Christianity is not and was never about being understood.It's about living for the One who called you into it.When we choose God's word we cannot expect comfort and encouragement from the world,but from him who has called us.
Let's soldier on children of the most high God!
