So....clothes DO make the man....(or “What NOT to wear”)

(from the Bible study last night in my home)

Read through this set of scriptures, and try to get a visual for what is being said:

Colossians 3:5-145 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[a] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythia, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”New International Version (NIV)

Before we put on anything new (verses 12-14), we must remove the old (verses 5-10).
We can't just “cover up” the old . How silly it would be to leave on our old clothes and put the new garments over them! We would still see parts of the old showing through. It would be very uncomfortable, and why on earth would we wear something OLD when we have something NEW to show off?!
We must REMOVE them, and REPLACE them with the new "garments"!

Jesus chose for us “new garments” which will fit perfectly, and NEVER WEAR OUT!
He doesn't force us to wear the new clothes, however, ...He says, “clothe yourself”. And also tells US to “put to death” those old habits and sins.

The power to destroy them is through Him, however, it is our choice –He doesn't do it for us. The Holy Spirit was sent as our HELP-er—not the DO-er. He will HELP us put to death the old sin nature and the ugliness that came with it. He will also HELP us put on the new, beautiful garments He has chosen for us.

The clothing we choose to wear daily is strictly our OUR CHOICE. We must CHOOSE to clothe ourselves in His finest garments.
At times, an old grungy pair of shoes or jeans is appealing to us because they have become comfortable. Our bad habits and sinful nature often feels “comfortable” as well.

However, once we put on something new, and we try them out, walk around in them, wear them a few times- break them in—they feel “right” and also become appealing-not only to us, but to those around us. The new garments become a part of our new wardrobe and style-our “signature look”.



I love the last part: “Put on love, which binds them altogether in perfect unity.”

LOVE is the perfect accessory! It looks good on everyone, goes with everything, One size fits all and it never goes out of style!

So, this morning, and every morning, as you look through your closet for something to wear, let it serve as a reminder to CLOTHE YOURSELF in the beautiful garments He has chosen for you to wear--but don't even think about leaving on those old ones---let's support each other as we put to death those old smelly garments that only weigh us down, trip us up and eventually will destroy us.

PUT TO DEATH:
sexual immorality
impurity
lust
evil desires
greed, which is idolatry.
anger
rage
malice
slander
filthy language
Do not lie to each other

PUT ON:

compassion
kindness
humility
gentleness
patience
forbearance
forgiveness
LOVE


THIS WEEK'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be aware when I leave on my old, dirty clothes I thought I had removed, and help me destroy my old ways that are not pleasing to you. Remind me to put on the new garments you have chosen for me to wear as I face the day—so I may be prepared for what ever, and whomever crosses my path.