Everyone has their morning routine. For some it’s coffee, tea, water, exercising, Bible study, etc.
When our daughter Ava wakes up in the morning, she proclaims, “I wake up!” Ava proceeds to come into our bathroom while we are getting ready and she plays around a bit until it’s her time to get ready for the day. We say to Ava, “it’s time to get dressed.”
While the only thing Ava hears is, “dress,” she knows what it means. We go into Ava’s room and pick her out some clothes to wear for the day. Once her clothes are on, she will say, “look, I’m a princess.”
We all (hopefully) get dressed everyday. Our particular jobs may call us to dress a certain way. It may be a suit and tie, a dress, jeans and a t-shirt, anything.
Of course when we go to church we are to wear our, “Sunday best.” Well, some people still stick to that. If you don’t that’s ok.
How many of us put on our Jesus clothes though?
Jesus clothes? What?
How many of us worry ourselves to death matching this and that. Does this make me look fat? Does this go together? Is this too tight? Is this the right color?
Yet how many of us worry just as much about putting our Jesus clothes on?
Paul lets us know in Romans 13 we are to put our Jesus clothes on everyday. He tells us the night is gone. The darkness is gone. A new day is here. The light is here. It’s time to live like it.
There was a time, or perhaps now is your time, when we walked in darkness. Talked in darkness. Spoke in darkness. Thought in darkness. Acted as if we were always in darkness. We walk and talk about nothing but the bad things going on. About how nothing in this world is going to get better. About how Jesus must be about to come rapture us all up because this world is so terrible and Satan is taking over…
It’s time we stop.
I don’t mean it’s time for us to stop looking forward to literally being with Jesus. What I mean is it is time we act like we have been given hope. Worry, doubt, and fear is spread all throughout this world. We Christians do not need to keep feeding it. Sometimes we act and talk like we really don’t believe. We also act at times like we haven’t got a clue what the Fruit of the Spirit is or what clothes we are SUPPOSED to be wearing.
Colossians 3:12—“Put on then, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”
Ask your waitress yesterday if you exemplified these qualities.
It’s easy to think we act like Jesus. We often think we wear these qualities. But are we really?
Romans 13:14—“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ…”
No matter where you are, who you are around, people are watching. You can be told that if you wear a certain outfit people will respect you. If you wear this or that you will have a good reputation. Let’s be clear: God looks at your heart. God does not care what the price of your suit or dress was. We can LOOK a certain way all day long. What is in our heart?
Do people look at you and talk more about how much your outfit probably cost than they do how compassionate you are? Do people look at you and think you must be a successful business person or how you have extended grace to them?
Maybe it’s time for a wardrobe change. Perhaps it’s makeover time...