By Melissa Duriga

Devotion # 2 in a seven part series

In this addition we will look at and solve some mysteries, and we will discover special powers.

Dannah Gresh, author of And the Bride Wore White, and Secret Keeper: the Delicate Power of Modesty, tells the story of a time when she had spoken to a group and was approached afterwards by a teen girl. As the conversation unfolded, the girl shared that she had lost 50 pounds and found that guys would now look at her if she wore certain kinds of clothing. This caused a struggle within her because she liked it and yet she hated it at the same time. She finally verbalized very wisely, “It’s like I’ve found this power.”

According to Dannah Gresh, each of us as a female creation was born with the seed of this power planted firmly within us. Imagine in the beginning, God creating Eve and planting this power in her, and pronouncing it as “good.” What would He have called it? It could be called sexuality, but both men and women have that, and this power is unique to us girls. The word beauty limits it to the physical, and this is a multidimensional power. Dannah believes the word that describes this power is allure. The mysterious power of the feminine attraction can be identified in our language as allure. Both men and women are drawn to it, but men with a greater magnetism.

We may have solved the mystery of what this magnetic power is called, but there is

another mystery to solve here. What is the source of the power of allure? How does allure have power? If we focus our detective magnifying glass on a concept that has been minimized, we will find the word modesty. Modesty is a power in and of itself, because it offers the opportunity to control the effects of allure.

Compare the relationship of these two powers to that of strength and meekness. Often when we think of a meek person, we think of weakness, but a more accurate representation of meekness is “strength under control.” The power of the strength is available, but control of that strength allows it to be used only when it is needed—not at inappropriate times.

In the same way, modesty is “allure under control.” The allure is always there, but modesty allows us to control the use of that allure so that it is used at the right times.

Another mystery: Why is modesty necessary? Remember last week, when we talked about the foundational reason why we wear clothes? The answer is in Genesis! It is because of sin that we wear clothes, and it is because of sin that we need to exercise modesty. Because God had given Adam & Eve free will and they chose to disobey Him, they were the first ones to sin, and after they sinned (disobeyed God), they had children. Those children inherited the sin nature and had children who inherited the sin nature. Those children had children who inherited the sin nature, and on and on down to us. So, here we are, with the sin nature we inherited. Sin affects men and women in many ways but mostly it twists what was good and perfect in the beginning. Feminine allure was created as a good thing, but because of sin we need to learn how to best use our allure. Modesty is allure under control, and in upcoming weeks we will learn more about how to apply that concept in our lives.

I Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Titus 2: 11-14 – For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people who are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us with our feminine allure. Would you help us to learn how to best use this power? Open our hearts to see how to live self-controlled lives of modesty and purity as we wait for your glorious appearing.