ODJ: Beautiful Clothes
August 30, 2017
READ: Colossians 3:1-17
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (v.12).
When we were planning our wedding, my husband and I decided we wanted our wedding party to wear traditional clothes from their home countries. But I also wanted the colours to match. Since the outfits were being prepared by my mum and my future mother-in-law in separate countries, Romania and Thailand, colour coordination was nearly impossible. What’s worse, some of our friends wouldn’t be able to try on their clothing until the wedding day! I finally stopped worrying and simply prayed that the clothes would fit everyone and the colours wouldn’t clash. When the long-awaited day finally came, everyone looked spectacular!
Our wedding story reminds me of Paul’s words about the beautiful ‘wardrobe’ believers find through Jesus. Through our life in Him, we have a “new nature”. When we live out or “put on” this new nature, we are “renewed as [we] learn to know [our] Creator and become like him” (Colossians 3:10). The inspiring outfits of believers are made with delicate material such as “tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (v.12).
And if such clothing didn’t catch their eye, Paul reminded the Colossians why they should want to wear these attributes. He said, “God chose you to be the holy people he loves” (v.12). They had been given the privilege of being loved by God and set apart for a higher purpose than “anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander and dirty language” (v.8).
We can find encouragement in the truth that we don’t need to make our own spiritual ‘clothes’—Jesus is the One who provides all that’s needed. “Christ is all that matters, and he lives in . . . us” (v.11). May we wear the beautiful clothing He provides today!
—Estera Pirosca Escobar
365-day-plan: John 12:20-36
Read Galatians 5:22-23 for a more complete list of ‘outfits’ and think about how each one can practically be displayed by us.
Paul said that as we enter into the new nature we received as children of God, we learn to know God better and even become like Him. How will you put on this new nature today? What needs to be replaced?
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