14. Dress well…
I counsel you to buy…. white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness…
Revelations 3:18
My soul shall be joyful in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10
Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ…
Romans 13:14
- White clothes to wear…
“Clothes maketh the man” is an old idiom sometimes attributed to Mark Twain and refers to the power and authority that comes with wearing the right clothes.
I love clothes and put some thought into how I look each day whether it be casual or work clothes or going out to dinner. Some places have dress codes – no singlets, shoes must be worn, tie required, shoulders must be covered. When I was in Italy with my husband and son, we visited an old church on an island and they were unable to go inside because they were wearing shorts. A great deal of importance is placed on how we cover ourselves. Different colours have different meanings. The western world dresses in black for funerals; in the Philippines yellow is the colour of mourning. Western brides wear white, in India the bride adorns herself in a vibrant array of colour.
Today, John, in his revelation, exhorts us to buy white garments from God to cover our nakedness, our shame. The theme of putting on garments that represent our inward appearance is found throughout the Bible and considered more important than the outward attire.
In Romans, Paul tells us that we must clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. In Colossians 3:12 he says to clothes ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. But what does this look like? How do we clothe ourselves in this way?
Getting dressed is not just something that happens. When I wake up I am not suddenly dressed and ready for whatever is in the diary for today. Dressing is a conscious decision that we make. I have a habit of thinking through and selecting my work clothes the night before so they are ready for me in the morning (yes, I am a teeny bit OCD). In the same way we need to choose our spiritual clothes each day:
Compassion – a choice to help others in need
Kindness – a choice to have a gentle nature and give pleasure to others
Humility – a choice to think of others above yourself
I think you get the picture – God desires that we put on clothing that prepares us each day for service, to do his work.
God is saying to us:
I see you, in beautiful, flowing robes that make you look stunning as you dance with me. This is your garment of service. Your garment of kindness, humility, compassion, patience, gentleness, and it is woven from material made with my love, my joy, my peace. Sewn with threads of hope and jewels of faith.
Prayer: Lord, I have a wardrobe full of skirts, dresses, trousers, shirts from which I can select each day. Help me to build my spiritual wardrobe with the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). My desire is to wear these clothes each day of my life serving you and those around me.
Amen
Action: Today – as you prepare for your day (assuming you are doing breakfast with God!) take a moment to consciously choose what spiritual garments you will put on today.
Journal your thoughts:
