How much jewelry is too much

Our Lord said, "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. We have been sent into the world to demonstrate who Jesus is and what He is like. Through the Holy Spirit we become His representatives-to reflect His image in everything from the way we talk and work to the way we eat and dress. In 2 Corinthians , God says that "we all Those opposed to Christianity rejoiced, mocking the immorality and hypocrisy exhibited in the lives of these men and their wives who professed to speak for Jesus.

During this tragic time, the secular media often made reference to their flamboyant dress and gaudy jewelry as proof that these professed Christians were not genuine. These inconsistant TV preachers even inspired one famous musician to write a popular song entitled "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex? It is a sad day indeed when Christians win the medal for opulent external adornment! Wearing Our Wealth Let's take a look at the origin of jewelry.

God made all of the gold, silver, and precious jewels in the world, and He intended for them to have a practical use. Since even small amounts of these minerals are so rare and valuable, long ago they began to be used as money. Over time, people began wearing their money in order to impress others with their wealth. When shoppers went to the market to buy an expensive item, they would simply pull off one of their rings or bracelets to pay.

After Rebecca had watered the camels for Abraham's servant, the Bible says that he paid her in this way. When the children of Israel brought an offering to the Lord to build the tabernacle, they used the jewels they had received from the Egyptians.

It was their money. There is obviously nothing wrong with having money. But the question is, does God want Christians to wear their wealth for all to see? Of course not. Since it is a sin to covet, why would you want to entice a brother or sister to covet your money by wearing it for all to see? What could possibly be the motive for a Christian to do this? The reason gold and jewels are so valuable is that they are rare and expensive to mine from the earth.

Angels must marvel when they see us put on jewelry to signify value and wealth. In heaven, gold is used for pavement, and diamonds are the stones that form the walls of its mansions! Just think of it. From heaven's perspective, gold is asphalt and diamonds are blocks! How silly it must appear to heavenly beings when we dangle asphalt and bricks on our ears and wrap them around our fingers. Wouldn't you look twice if someone walked into your church next week wearing a black asphalt pendant and a matching tar ring?

In evangelism, I've met many sincere people who had attended the popular churches in their towns only to turn away disappointed because they discerned a spirit of pride and display among the members. These genuine seekers of God entered the sanctuary hoping to find a church home, but instead they found extravagance with which they could not compete.

How happy I've been to offer them a church where the wealthy and the poor choose not to parade their status by wearing fancy clothing and jewelry. These individuals have been thrilled to worship where they don't feel that they're looked down on if they don't wear the latest fashions. I hope that my church will always stay with the Bible truth on this subject.

We have too much to lose otherwise. Those who seek to justify the wearing of jewelry usually point to Bible stories in which God's children wore gold, silver, or jewels. For example, the Scriptures report with no comment that Joseph wore a ring and "a gold chain about his neck" Genesis , that Saul wore a bracelet 2 Samuel , that Mordecai was given a ring by Ahasuerus Esther , and that King Belshazzar gave Daniel a scarlet robe and "put a chain of gold about his neck" Daniel But, remember, just because we see something done in Bible times does not mean that God condoned it.

The Scriptures simply record a faithful history of God's people-including all their failures. Noah drank wine and became drunk Genesis , Lot had sex with his daughters and got them pregnant Genesis Judah hired a prostitute for a night, impregnated her, and later discovered she was his daughter-in-law Genesis We cannot assume that God condones such unsavory practices just because these incidents were mentioned in the Bible.

Other passages of Scripture clearly tell us that God condemns alcohol, incest, prostitution, and jewelry as anti-productive to accomplishing His purposes for humanity. One story that is often cited to justify jewelry is that of the prodigal son. Since the father "put a ring on his hand," some say that we can assume God wants us to wear jewelry. Obviously, as we've just seen, this parable is not an inspired comment on whether Christians should wear rings.

Furthermore, the ring the father gave his son was most likely a signet ring. Signet rings contained the family seal. People used them to press this unique seal onto official documents.

It was the family's signature. Rather than an ornament for display, signet rings were a tool for officiating documents and were usually worn on the index finger. Before the prodigal son left home, he asked his father for his share of the inheritance. Once he received his money and goods, he left home to spend it all on "riotous living. Out of money and destitute, the foolish prodigal later found himself flat broke, hungry, and poorly clad. In desperation he returned home, trusting in the goodness of his father to at least take him in as a servant.

The prodigal felt that he no longer deserved to be a son, since he had squandered half of his father's hard-earned savings. But instead of rejection, his father showed him unlimited acceptance. He replaced the prodigal's rags with a comfortable and clean robe and put shoes on his bare feet. He filled his son's empty stomach with a feast. And to the son who just wasted his riches, this father gave the signet ring-the family checkbook- with free access to his remaining fortune.

One reason I do not drink any alcohol is because one person in seven who imbibes will eventually become an alcoholic. Even though I might be able to drink moderately, I do not want my bad example to cause another person's downfall-especially for something so unnecessary as intoxicating beverages. The same principle holds true for jewelry.

We have all seen people who cover themselves with gold and precious jewels-gem-aholics, if you will. Most people who wear lots of jewelry do not sense their personal worth.

They hope to feel more valuable by covering themselves with expensive articles. Others believe they are unattractive and hope to increase their perceived beauty by adorning themselves with beautiful gems. They can't control themselves. They think that if one is good, then 10 would be better. Just for the record, I have never heard a man say: "Isn't she beautiful? Just look at her jewelry! Well, here is the big question. What is that point?

If it's okay for women to wear earrings, then who is to say it's wrong for men? If one ring or earring is acceptable, then why not three or four? If the laymen can wear jewelry, why not the clergy? If a ring in the ear is all right, then what's wrong with a bone in the nose?

Perhaps you have noticed the modern craze of body piercing. Four earrings in one ear and rings in the nose with a chain between them. People are now piercing their flesh and wearing rings in their eyebrows, navels, tongues, and other places we can't mention in a Christian publication. Why would a Christian want to be a stumbling block for someone else and encourage this trend by wearing any jewelry? It's all unnecessary.

Especially for people who are preparing to meet Jesus. Speaking of people living in the time of the end, the prophet Ezekiel warns, "They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

If I were to wear any jewelry, I would instantly open the floodgates of inconsistency by my example and cause many to stumble.

If I really love my brother, why would I insist on taking that risk for something so frivolous and unnecessary as jewelry? Whenever you are unsure about which course to take on a spiritual issue, take the safe position. I know that on the judgment day, God will not condemn anyone for not wearing enough jewelry.

So the safe thing is to not wear any. Modesty and Humility The original purpose for clothing was to cover the nakedness of our first parents. Adam and Eve never would have dreamed of hanging gold or silver on their bodies to accent their fig leaves!

Clothing was for modesty and to protect them from the changing climate. Someday God will place a golden crown of victory on the brow of the overcomers. Yet even then the saved will remove their golden crowns in God's presence Revelation , Notice what God told the prophet Isaiah about jewelry and fancy clothing. A woman in Bible prophecy symbolizes a church. In this prophecy, the women churches were to be severely judged because of their pride, which is directly connected with external adornment.

Because we wrestle with sin and temptation, now is not the right time to glorify our exteriors. The supreme goal of the Christian is to attract attention to Christ, not to self. Decorating our mortal bodies with glittering gems and minerals usually springs from pride and is diametrically opposed to the spirit and principles of Jesus.

Pride of appearance was a large factor in Lucifer's fall and rebellion. When God originally created Lucifer as a perfect angel, He gave every precious stone as his garments-"the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold.

Unfortunately, Lucifer chose to misappropriate God's gifts. Filled with pride, he decided he was beautiful enough to have God's place on the throne of the universe. Pride led to rebellion. Rebellion led to war in heaven. And war in heaven led to sin on earth. Ever since Adam and Eve's fall into sin, we humans have had to struggle with the same sinful nature that has pride at its root.

God, therefore, has commanded us to not wear jewelry. In our sinful condition, we are no better able to resist the tendency to sinful pride than was Lucifer. The occasion where you are going is an important deciding factor while you are picking up jewelry pieces to wear.

You need to avoid bangles for office wear as they would make noises and also make it difficult for you to type. If you are planning to go for the evening, choose for one single piece that stands out and adds value to your look. A gorgeous necklace, cocktail ring or a pair of chandelier earrings will do the needful. Irrespective of what the occasion is, you can never go wrong with a mix of stunning rings that look dainty on your fingers.

Do not allow your jewelry to distract from your outfit and yourself. While you are choosing jewelry to wear, you should always ask yourself whether it would add or detract from your natural look and also your outfit. It is very important to keep in mind that the jewelry items you choose must compliment your look and add elegance to it. For example, never go for a stack of bangles and also a stack of necklaces at the same time. You need to opt for one such stack and not two types of stack.

Wearing too much of jewelry items confuses onlookers and ruins your look. You need to coordinate your jewelry with the kind of material that you are wearing for a particular place. Chunky jewelry usually do not go well with thin silks and sheers as it can appear to much of a adornment with those kind of materials. Also, tiny thin chains on your necklace will look odd with your chunky sweaters. So, think about the material while you are trying to wear certain jewelry items.

You always need to think about the vibe before you are actually opting for the right jewelry items for yourself. If you are planning to go for a bohemian look, you can always go for more jewelry items. Whereas, if you are planning to look elegant and sober at the same time, you need to stay away from a lot of jewelry items and go for a minimalist look. The right jewelry can make your look and the wrong ones can break your look. But for a creative office environment, you could wear large hoops.

And if you are not sure about what to wear to the office, wear fewer pieces as possible, and remember that balance is key. Formal Events —you get to show off your elegance at formal events. Throw in some sparkle and any jewelry that puts emphasis on your best features.

Go all out with stunning diamond or crystal earrings to show off your stunning jawline or cheekbones, or even a statement necklace to draw attention to your face. Party jewelry — Here, you get to make and break jewelry rules. You can mix metals, wear a ring s on any finger, mix gemstones with the faux stones, and you can wear the biggest hoops or go big on layered pieces.

There is no maximum cap to the maximum number of bracelets you can wear on your arm s , but you know that you have too many bracelets on when you feel uncomfortable and not a confident. You get to wear as many or as few bracelets as you like, and you can mix the materials, sizes, and textures, but at the end of the day, you need to feel confident with what you have on. Your outfit plays a big role too. If you are unsure, start small, and add pieces as you grow more confident with having more bracelets.

Rules are meant to be broken, but there are instances where a bracelet and a watch would be a tad too much. But if you are unsure about the number of jewelry to wear, keep in mind where you will be wearing the jewelry too.