New Clothes

Colossians 3:12, 14 (NLT) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

“The clothes make the man.” You may have heard this saying and the world is more than willing to give us fashion choices each new year. Fads change (and never quite fit every body type) and what was hot is soon not. When we look to the world for our identity – we often can't keep up and usually don’t measure up or fit the identities they are trying to sell us. (James 1:8, 3:6, 4:8 (NLT)) Song to Encourage

Another thought to consider, is the world is willing to lie to us about who we are. I personally have been told to put on the clothes of someone who I am not. “You are too dumb, your looks are only worth what pleases others, you are too weak,” these are some of the many opinions people have had about who I am at different seasons of my life thus far…and they all have missed the mark. I would like to think that I never really thought they were right, but when you hear the lies so often, you wonder, “so many people are saying the same things, how can all those people be wrong? I must be the one who is wrong.” I’m discovering that what was/is wrong, is with whom I was surrounding myself. What was wrong, were the experiences I was not protected from as a child and the skills I was not given to defend myself. Song to Encourage

The lies of the world also are willing to give us (after they accuse us of being someone we are not) clothes of fear, anger, bitterness, sorrow, anxiety…you name the hurtful emotion, the world has plenty to give! That’s why the verse in Colossians (3:12, 14) is such a strengthening reminder of God’s love – he chose us and loves us and has clothes that aren’t itchy, binding or uncomfortable - they always fit right and protect from the lies of the world (Ephesians 6: 10-17). All I need to do is choose to put them on daily.  Song to Keep Moving

Isaiah 61:2b, 3a (NLT) …to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Romans 13:14 (NLT) Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

1 Peter 3:3-5 (NLT) Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

Color Blind

1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT) “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

God is color blind. His grace is not black & white – God looks at our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). We have all seen cases where two people can say or do the same thing but because of their motive and intention, one could be wrong and the other right. Because faith without works is dead (James 2:26), so also is works without faith (1 Corinthians 13:2) – the two cannot be separated.

There is no eternal value (and very little temporal value for that matter) about being a “good” person if it does not lead you and others to eternal life. There is only One who can sufficiently lead anyone to eternal life (John 14:3-7) and He only looks at our hearts, our intentions and our motives, not our acts.

When we begin to become legalistic and black & white in our thinking and feelings about life and others – we can easily become like the Pharisees who missed the gospel, missed the grace, missed God right in front of their eyes and therefore missed not only their purpose for life here on earth but also their eternal life that they had been “working” so hard to grasp.

Scriptures say that no one is righteous enough to make it to heaven on their own merit (Romans 3:10, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Ephesians 2:8-10). And some could (and have) read scriptures as showing a bully God, declaring His harsh rule and judgment over everyone and everything…but what does God say?

John 3:16-18 (NLT): For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

Matthew 3:10 (NLT): Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Exodus 34:6 (NLT): The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

Not everything God asks of us will look “good” to the world (1 Corinthians 1:27). That raise or “better” job you pass up to serve God right where you are, that bigger house you don’t buy because you want to be a good steward of God’s money in different ways, the child you adopt or have when it doesn’t look like the timing is right but you know God has a different plan for you and them, the person you help when all others turn away (or help even when no one is looking). 

Because God is the only person who is perfect, judgment will happen for all of us but out of love, not anger. Would He really be a God worth serving if sin and evil went unpunished (even our own)? Those who were “good” people and did what was right in their own eyes will be denied eternal life…whether they were working for it or not. Those who produced “good” fruit, who chose the foolish things of the world and revealed their weaknesses in light of God’s strength and goodness will attain eternal reward not for their service, but because of the One they served. For Christians, this world is not our home. We do not have to look at the world as black & white…we get to see the world with God-colored lenses and there are many shades of grace.

Song to Encourage Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes

1 Peter 1:17 (NLT) And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.”