“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Colossians 3:1-10
“You look so pretty,” I exclaimed to a friend one day.
“Ah, nah, I just threw on the clothes I found next to my bed,” she replied, waving off the comment.
Oh, how I could relate. The more focused I am on the Lord and ministry and helping others to find and follow Him, the less preoccupied I am with clothes. Not to mention I’m staying in a hotel room with limited space to store and organize stuff. But there is a much more significant way in which I can relate. And herein lies the message.
Those who repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, devoting their lives to God and His ways, for the promise of His forgiveness and a forever relationship with Him instead of eternity in hell and the lake of fire must turn away from the world’s ways and live by God’s ways empowered, strengthened, and sustained by His Spirit. In the verses above, God through the apostle Paul makes clear we need to take off our old clothes, so to speak, and put on our new ones.
My friend that day grabbed the clothes nearest to her bed because this was easiest for her. Comfortable. Familiar. What she was used to. Obvious. In closest reach. Is this not what we tend to do with sin? Reaching for and dressing ourselves in the easiest, comfy, familiar, the obvious, what’s in closest reach? The way we have lived for years before we commit our lives to Christ? Ah, but we need in God’s strength to forsake our sins and put on our new clothes. If you read on in Colossians 3, you will find a list of some of what we God desires us to dress ourselves in. But please don’t stop there. Read His Word daily and learn to live the way He has called us. Let us dress for the Lord each day in reverence, humility, and adoration in a manner whereby we live to love, honor, and worship Him forever! His Spirit will empower us to do just that!