{"id":32207,"date":"2021-02-18T14:28:26","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T20:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=32207"},"modified":"2021-02-18T14:36:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T20:36:40","slug":"pose-pretty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/pose-pretty\/","title":{"rendered":"Pose Pretty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Jefferson David Tant<\/p>\n

\"\"What do you usually do when someone points a camera at you? If you are like most, you immediately “straighten up” a bit, don’t you? Hair fixed, clothes in good order, and a nice smile on your face. Did you ever wonder why we are like that – why we go to all that trouble just to have a picture taken? It’s because we know a picture is a lasting thing, and since it will be about for a long time, we want to be sure that by means of the snapshot, we will be “remembered well.” So we “look our best.”<\/p>\n

I remember being in the home of friends a while back. We were all getting dressed for church. Their 15-year-old daughter, a special friend of mine, came and asked me, “How do you like my dress?” I wore the longest one I had because I knew you would be here.” She knew my conviction concerning God’s teaching on modest apparel (I Timothy 2:9; Matthew 5:28; etc.), and because she respected and admired me, she wanted to be on her “good behavior” so that I might think well of her. I appreciated her attitude towards me, but how much better if she had the same respect for God.<\/p>\n

Do you see that she actually had more respect for them than for God? I’m sure that idea never crossed her mind but it’s true, nonetheless. When in my presence, she wanted to “pose pretty.” But he forgot she was always in God’s presence.<\/p>\nGod is always there, and we cannot escape his presence. David said in the 139th Psalm that he could not flee from God. “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol,…thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost part s the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me…If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me,…Even the darkness hideth not from thee<\/em>” (Psalms 139:7-12).
\nWhile God may not have “snapshots,” he does have his “book of remembrance<\/em>” (Malachi 4:16), and he has promised to “bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).\n

We may be able to hide our misbehavior from parents, teachers, or friends we respect, but we cannot hide it from God. And one day we will have to face it all and give an answer. How much easier it will be for us to conduct our lives in such a manner that God will have a “good remembrance” of us. It will save a lot of grief in this life as well as in the life to come. Think about it, and consider:<\/p>\n

“Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them.<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1).<\/p>\n

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals<\/em>” (I Corinthians 15:33).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Jefferson David Tant What do you usually do when someone points a camera at you? If you are like most, you immediately “straighten up” a bit, don’t you? Hair fixed, clothes in good order, and a nice smile on your face. Did you ever wonder why we are like that – why we go…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[208,365,197],"class_list":["post-32207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-clothing","tag-modesty","tag-respect"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49984,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-have-a-picture-of-buddha-in-our-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":32207,"position":0},"title":"Is it wrong to have a picture of Buddha in our home?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, My wife and I are both Christians. My wife put a picture of Buddha in our home because it matches our furniture color and it is nicely painted. I almost fought with her to remove the picture because it contradicts our faith in Christ in my opinion. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42756,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-god-knew-we-would-sin-why-did-god-create-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":32207,"position":1},"title":"If God knew we would sin, why did God create us?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: God bless you. My heart has been troubled lately with a question that I can't seem to answer I've been praying about it but no answer yet. Why did God create us? If he knew that Satan would rebel against him and that Adam and Eve would fall into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15890,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-we-break-up-because-of-our-lack-of-self-control\/","url_meta":{"origin":32207,"position":2},"title":"Should we break up because of our lack of self-control?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I'm 25 years old. I have a boyfriend who is a Christian too. We have been together for less than 9 months. We set boundaries. and we know that we should abstain from sex before marriage. At first, it was okay. There are no kissing or hugs. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13534,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-jesus-knew-judas-would-betray-him-why-did-jesus-have-him-around\/","url_meta":{"origin":32207,"position":3},"title":"If Jesus knew Judas would betray him, why did Jesus have him around?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If Jesus knew Judas would betray him, why did Jesus entertain Judas until that time? Answer: Paul addressed a similar question, though he looked back at a far older event. When it was time for the Israelites to be freed from bondage, people wondered why did God put such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17425,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-beginning-to-doubt-my-baptism-whether-i-really-understood-that-i-was-to-die-to-sin-should-i-be-rebaptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":32207,"position":4},"title":"I’m beginning to doubt my baptism, whether I really understood that I was to die to sin. Should I be rebaptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have heard of many people who have questioned their salvation because they didn't know a particular scripture at the time. I have learned through the years that there will always be something you don't know at the time of your baptism. A person does not need to know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62638,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/he-got-up-and-followed-him\/","url_meta":{"origin":32207,"position":5},"title":"He Got Up and Followed Him","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Think about this for a moment. Jesus passed by \"Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, 'Follow Me!' And he got up and followed Him\" (Mark 2:14). 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