I have never coveted nor been impressed by bling. Bling, the slang word for personal adornment in the form of jewelry. I have not ever worn bling, in the form of necklaces, bracelets, rings (except my wedding ring), or earrings (nor nose rings or other piercings). I haven’t even worn a watch since before I retired. Years earlier, my sister gave our dad and me big, showy wristwatches to show our masculinity, but I guess I wasn’t very masculine, because it didn’t really do anything for me (except tell the time). Plus, I had read somewhere that really successful men never wore watches, because they were not slaves to time – their subordinates were. So, considering myself to be a really successful man, I freed myself from being dependent on time and let all the other people around me wear the watches.
I don’t even wear a “smart” watch, even though many years ago I thought we would eventually come up with such a device that could do all kinds of things, from time, to navigation, to 2-way communication (for my aging peers, do you remember Dick Tracy and his 2-way radio and then TV watches?).
No, I’ve -never been attracted to bling – until now. For this week, I finally got my own personal bling: a Medic Alert dog tag.
I had been thinking about getting one for a while, but after recently getting a pacemaker plus restrictions on what medical actions could be taken on my right arm due to dialysis, I figure it was time to get one. It’s not the one that sends a signal in case I fall if I can’t get up, but for that, Karen can call 911.
It’s nice to know that if I have a medical emergency, first responders can see critical information about me, and can contact someone who has more in-depth details about me and my medical conditions.
What all these dog tags are lacking, is any information about the wearers’ spiritual condition. Has the person been baptized? Does the person believe in Jesus? Is the Holy Spirit working sanctification in him or her? Is the person saved and “bound for glory”? Does the tag list a person’s favorite sins?
In fact, is there any such “bling” a Christian can wear that marks him or her as a Christian? You could suggest wearing a cross. Many people do wear them, and when I led services at church I wore a cross that hung from a chain around my neck and lay across my chest. Others, like my wife, wear a dove, symbolic of the Holy Spirit. My dad used to wear a little gold yoke as a lapel pin, symbolizing he was yoked to Christ (and as a conversation starter when people asked him what the yoke meant). Such jewelry can show we are Christian (especially when such identification is not popular), but they can also be worn by non-Christians as a cultural symbol or even to deceive others.
An ancient epistle referred to Christians being identified, not by any cultural markers, but rather by behavior. In the Letter to Diognetus, written in the 2nd or 3rd Century AD, the writer says:
Christians are not distinguished from other men by country, language, nor by the customs which they observe. They do not inhabit cities of their own, use a particular way of speaking, nor lead a life marked out by any curiosity. The course of conduct they follow has not been devised by the speculation and deliberation of inquisitive men. They do not, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of merely human doctrines. Instead, they inhabit both Greek and barbarian cities, however things have fallen to each of them. And it is while following the customs of the natives in clothing, food, and the rest of ordinary life that they display to us their wonderful and admittedly striking way of life.
They exist in the flesh, but they do not live by the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, all the while surpassing the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned. They are put to death and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich. They lack everything, yet they overflow in everything.
The point the writer makes, is that from their customs of language, dress, and food, Christians do not stand out as different from any one else. (He would have included “bling” in that if the word had existed back then). But instead, they are marked by their attitudes and actions.
1. As Jesus taught, they show they are his disciples by their love: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
2. They are marked by their love for God and for their neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40).
3. They react to abuse by others in a unique way as Christ commanded: “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:28).
4. They know that their citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and they look forward with the hope of resurrection (1 Peter 1:3).
5. Christians are not conformed to the world in belief or actions (Romans 12:2), but exhibit in their lives the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Christians who try to follow the Ten Commandments and to live by Christ’s teachings and example, are not saved by their obedience, but their actions are a witness far more powerful than any jewelry they may wear.
A policeman pulled over a car and when the driver asked what he had done wrong, the officer replied. “Well, I saw you cut off another car, heard you blare your horn in anger, and then saw you make an obscene gesture to another driver. Then when I noticed you had a Christian bumper sticker, I figured the car must have been stolen.”
1 Peter 3:3-5 speaks of our internal witness versus our external: “Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight.”
Finally, Revelation 9:4 refers to God’s people being marked by “the seal of God on their foreheads.” In this life, God sealed us by his Spirit; but I look forward to wearing his outward sign forever, which will show for eternity his love for me and his ownership. That will be the only bling I really need!
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
Read: Colossians 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians. 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:17.