Our Spiritual Clothing (Part 2)

Therefore, as God's chosen people,
holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience.
Col. 3:12 NIV

Yesterday we talked about how as Christians, we are a cherished people to God. It's pretty awesome to know we are loved and hand-picked by God for a special purpose. And because of this special status that we are given, we need to put on the proper clothes. We are children of the King. You would think, then, that we should be wearing the royal robes. And, according to my last name, Couturier, in France, my ancestors would have been the ones who made the royal clothing. You would think we should be parading around in hand-tailored, loud clothing, making a statement of who we are. You would think we should be wearing the clothing of pride, the clothing of arrogance, the clothing of power, wearing power colors, as we are taught in the world.

But God tells us just the opposite. God's ways are not the ways of the world. The world exalts people like Donald Trump because he is successful and has lots of money. What kind of clothing does he wear? If you were to describe the qualities of his life, how would you describe them?

Is he known for his compassion?

Is he known for his kindness?

Is he known for his humility?

Is he known for his gentleness?

Is he known for his patience?

Does he wear the clothing of a child of God? And yet, I find many Christians trying to pattern their lives after this man. I'm not trying to pick on Donald Trump, because I'm sure he has many good qualities, but I was us to think about what we are doing. Who are we trying to dress like? Are we trying to dress like a biker? or a rock star? or like the popular kids in school? Or have we made our minds up that we want to dress like our Father?

When Jesus came, he showed us what the Father was like. Jesus came with compassion, and kindness, and humility, and gentleness, and patience, because those are the qualities of God.

Tomorrow: Part 3

Have a great day!

Corey

Our Spiritual Clothing (Part 1)

Have you ever gone to the Mall and just sat and watched people as they walked by? It sure can be an interesting experience. You see all kinds of people. You see the gang members that all dress a certain way with the loose fitting baggy clothes, or the mall walkers in their jogging suits, or the Goth people draped in black overcoats, chains, and black clothing. You see professional people in their suits and ties. You can tell a lot about people just by the way they dress. You can tell if someone is a biker just by what they wear. In fact, clothing is one of the biggest identifying factors we know. The way we dress is our statement to the world, "This is who I am."

I remember when I was in the seventh grade, I just decided that I was going to be a cowboy that year. So, I bought a cowboy hat, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a belt with a huge buckle. That whole summer I dressed as a cowboy. That was my statement that year. "I am a cowboy". Only problem was, I didn't feel like a cowboy on the inside. Oh yea, outwardly I appeared as a cowboy, but inwardly I knew I really wasn't. I was a poser. Truth is, I really didn't know who I was at that age. And so it was just a passing fase I was going through. Before long, I was dressing back the way I did before.

Before we can know how to dress, first we must know who we are. Many times we go through life not really knowing who we really are, which leads me to this scripture:

Therefore, as God's chosen people,

holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion,

kindness, humility, gentleness

and patience.

Col. 3:12 NIV

As Christians, we must know that:

1. We are God's chosen people. To the world, this may sound arrogant, but to me this is so incredible. You see, when I was young, because I was small, many times I was the last to be picked when we played basketball, or any kind of sport. And so I started identifying with the fact that I was a loser. Kids didn't even want me on their team. I felt rejected. I let other people tell me who I was, but it wasn't the truth. When God gave me the faith to believe in Jesus for salvation, He was saying "Corey, I choose you to be on my team". Wow!!! I am one of God's chosen ones, one of his favorites. That changes who I really am.

2. We are holy. We are set apart for the purposes of God. It's refreshing to know that God has a special purpose and plan for my life. I'm not just here randomly or by accident. I am a child of God with special talents and abilities to accomplish God's will in my life.

3. We are dearly loved. knowing that I am loved means that I have value. I never felt I had much value as a person. I didn't think I had anything to offer people. But just knowing that God loves me intensely gives me self-worth. God cherishes us as one would cherish an expensive treasure, but more than that. Even more than a parent cherishes a child.

Once we know who we are, we can know how we should dress. I'll cover that tomorrow.

In Christ's love,

Corey