All Dressed Up
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
—Colossians 3:12-15
In the morning, when we wake up, our routine inevitably takes us to the closet or the dresser. Sometime shortly after our shower we confess to ourselves. "I am NOT going out in public like this!" There is something about our natural selves that we realize is not appropriate for public display. And so we cover ourselves with cotton, wool, or polyester. It would be preposterous for us to say, "If I cover myself, I am being deceptive! I am not giving people an accurate picture of who I am!" No one reading this would seriously consider walking through our day without some covering.
But when it comes to our personalities, how many times have we heard someone say, "This is just who I am, I can't change that!" One of my very favorite passages of scripture is Colossians 3:1-17. Right in the middle, in verse 12, Paul says "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Did you see it? Did you catch that word? Clothe yourself. This shows up a number of times throughout scripture, and I believe each time, the word is intentionally used to evoke an image.
Paul realized that the things he was encouraging were not natural. Naturally we are selfish, snippy, impatient and rough. Yet Paul knows that God has enabled us to be more than our natural selves. By clothing ourselves in humility, we are not being deceptive, nor are we withholding an accurate picture of ourselves! Rather we are covering those areas of our spirit that are not suitable for public display. The rest of that passage is full of things that are not natural for us, but when clothed in righteousness we can achieve. Forgiveness, love, peace, thankfulness submission, gentleness, obedience, etc – all these things are possible through the empowerment of the Spirit. They are not things that come easily, or naturally. We must make the effort to put them on, like clothing for our soul.
Homework this week: A simple prayer. "Lord, in what areas do I need to clothe myself spiritually?"
—Colossians 3:12-15
In the morning, when we wake up, our routine inevitably takes us to the closet or the dresser. Sometime shortly after our shower we confess to ourselves. "I am NOT going out in public like this!" There is something about our natural selves that we realize is not appropriate for public display. And so we cover ourselves with cotton, wool, or polyester. It would be preposterous for us to say, "If I cover myself, I am being deceptive! I am not giving people an accurate picture of who I am!" No one reading this would seriously consider walking through our day without some covering.
But when it comes to our personalities, how many times have we heard someone say, "This is just who I am, I can't change that!" One of my very favorite passages of scripture is Colossians 3:1-17. Right in the middle, in verse 12, Paul says "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Did you see it? Did you catch that word? Clothe yourself. This shows up a number of times throughout scripture, and I believe each time, the word is intentionally used to evoke an image.
Paul realized that the things he was encouraging were not natural. Naturally we are selfish, snippy, impatient and rough. Yet Paul knows that God has enabled us to be more than our natural selves. By clothing ourselves in humility, we are not being deceptive, nor are we withholding an accurate picture of ourselves! Rather we are covering those areas of our spirit that are not suitable for public display. The rest of that passage is full of things that are not natural for us, but when clothed in righteousness we can achieve. Forgiveness, love, peace, thankfulness submission, gentleness, obedience, etc – all these things are possible through the empowerment of the Spirit. They are not things that come easily, or naturally. We must make the effort to put them on, like clothing for our soul.
Homework this week: A simple prayer. "Lord, in what areas do I need to clothe myself spiritually?"