Just to re-emphasize about jewellery and be frank with you, before you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ himself said, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28 – 30).
To follow Christ, you have to pay a price. Jesus himself said the world did not receive him, neither will they receive you. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19) Do you want acceptance? If the world accepts you, then there is a problem. The world crucified the Master. As a child of God, you must realize, “the world crucified my Master.”
The major question is how can the world, who crucified my Master, love and respect me? If they have rejected Christ, your Master, they will reject you. Before you were baptized, were you identified with the death of Christ? Jewellery doesn’t have to be strictly gold or silver. It can be your dress, your lifestyle or anything you identify as an ornament to show off, both tangible and intangible.
Therefore, maybe you are the only member of your family who has accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior and if you know this is the truth, then God will help you stand up for this faith So many people suffer persecution from family members for the sake of their faith in Christ. Before we decide to follow Christ, think twice. World and Christ will never match, you must decide whether you want the world, or you want Christ. Hence, reckon yourself, be dead to yourself, then only will Christ be revealed in us. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:11)
We are living in the days where lot of adjustments, concessions and the thoughts of it, “being ok,” are prevailing. However, the Scripture says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” You have the choice of buying ornaments and jewellery, but if you follow Christ, then follow the example Christ has set.
Philippians 2:6-7 says “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…” If my Lord, took the form of a servant, forsook his glory and took the form of a servant, then look at us, then what are we? What glory do we have?
The ornaments we wear are from the world. If Christ set an example, let us follow the example of Christ and walk the way He set before us. And when we are being persecuted, God’s glory is visible. In some parts of the world, the use of ornaments is a cultural statement and not a fashion statement. In some societies, wearing white clothing is a mark of widowhood. But many in these regions, forsook the cultural statement and stood for the faith. Many through them have come to the knowledge of Christ. Therefore, you must say, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.” Through this dedication, many people who sacrificed for the faith have been a blessing in bringing more people into the faith.
To conclude, if the Lord paid the price, then let us stand for the truth with no compromise with the world. This same world nailed our Savior, it was the same world who hanged our Master. If I am compromising, how much it hurts for the One who stretched His hands and feet for you and me. Let us stand for His glory.
