2Peter 1: 1-10            

  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

 We all do it we accessorize; we adorn our homes with beautiful decorations, (My favorite is home interiors) we accessorize our cars with seat covers, the little pine tree air fresheners hanging from the mirror. Young people really like to accessorize spoilers in the back, ground effects, expensive wheel covers, and those loud kicker boxes. I myself I like those bobbing head dogs for the back window! Amber has four or five different face covers for her cell phone, it is what makes us unique, or above average.

 We dress up and accessorize our bodies also. Women are professionals at accessorizing. They match up shoes and purses with whatever dress they have finally decided to wear. They put their hair up or leave it down depending on what the mood calls for, and put pretty little things in it. And if they wear jewelry it has to match whatever earrings and watches they are wearing. Now you men we do the same our shoes have to match our pants, our shirts and socks must match up as well. (Sometimes I am the world’s worst dresser.) And nowadays men are into wearing expensive jewelry, (The Mr. T look) I’m quite sure he wouldn’t be accepted in a holiness church. (Certain of our holiness churches and churches of God do not allow their members to dress so gaudy) We are dress and behave ourselves as people professing Godliness.

 OK enough meddling! It’s not in the hair or the clothes; it’s all in the hearts and the souls! Besides what does all of this have to do with my salvation? Holiness starts on the inside, if we clean up the inside of the platter the outside of the plate will be clean also. What we have on the inside is working on the outside. Moving on the inside if me, to make me what God wants me to be! It took him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient he must be, cause he’s still working on me. As I said it starts on the inside, if the heart is right, if our thoughts are pure, holiness will find it’s way to the outside, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. That is what virtue is all about morality, a special type of goodness.

  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned them selves, being in subjection unto their own husbands.

  With this verse of scripture comes a stern warning to the holiness movement, please do not mistake a meek and a quiet spirit to be a proud and a holier than thou attitude. We are going to be comparing natural things with natural things and spiritual things with spiritual things. We do not preach about what is hanging on the clothesline (Although we believe women should look and dress like women and men should look like men).

  The controversy over the hair is an age-old argument, however Paul said if any man seemed to be contentious, (Argumentative) we have no such customs in the churches of God. But please do not get me wrong we should not walk in condemnation if long hair on a man or short hair on a woman bothers (Condemns) you. Then by all means obey the voice of the Lord. There is therefore now condemnation to them that walk not after the flesh. That is the question what are you following after? Who are you trying to look like? Is the Spirit leading you, that you may not fulfill the lust of your flesh?

  How do we turn these things around and use them for the good within the spirit man? These add-ons (Accessories) are through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.   Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity. 

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