All agreed that how a person dresses, whether good or badly, brings certain judgments to mind. If we see a well-dressed person, we immediately think that he's got his life in order and is successful and doesn't need anything. Likewise, the opposite is true if the person is poorly dressed or appears homeless and dirty. The well dressed person may be in as much need as the poorest person. The poor person is usually ignored and shunned. We all form some kind of opinion about a person by their appearance, whether good or bad.
So it is a fair assumption that the externals matter to some degree because it is the first thing that the world sees. You may get or lose a job opportunity because of the way you dress. Your clothing tell others whether you are approachable or not. And yet we also agreed that the inner person may not be properly portrayed by the outer garments.
So the next question was posed, "How as Christians are we to be clothed?" The scriptures tell us to "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." This is now the importance of living and being a Christian. The externals must reflect the internal experience of having received Christ as Savior and Lord and all that it means to have had this experience. That inner work of the Holy Spirit must now be put on display to allow the beauty of Christ to shine. The attractiveness of the attributes that conforms us to the image of Christ becomes the magnet for the world to desire to know Him.
We make decisions daily about how we will dress and look. As Christians we spend too little time making the same decision of how each day we will let the inner work become the outer garments. Somehow we think that it is supposed to happen without any effort on our part. The effort is in the decision. I decide that I WILL PUT ON CHRIST. In other words, "What are you wearing today that let's people know you belong to the Lord?" That was the next questions posed to the group and some very candid answers were shared. Some spoke of always wearing the garments of anger, offense and frustration in dealing with the circumstances of life. Some seem always seem to wear the garments of sorrow. Fear was also a popular garment. All agreed that none of these reflect the victory and joy that we are supposed to live in because of the cross and the resurrection. It's as if we are back in the Garden of Eden hiding from the Lord in naked shame, trying to cover ourselves with useless leaves. Yet, God in His mercy fashioned the suitable covering for the shame of sin as a picture and a sign of the redemption He prepared in Christ. We cover ourselves with excuses for our behavior but today, I challenged the young women to make a different choice. Knowing that we've chosen incorrectly in many and most areas of our lives, what must be done to change this?
The first step to getting dressed in brand new clothes is "getting washed up." Who would put new clothing on themselves with a dirty body. As we prepare our physical bodies to look their best in the new clothes we wear, so we must also prepare ourselves to wear spiritual garments by first washing ourselves as Jesus explained to His disciples at that last Passover supper. He said that they were not in need of a complete bath but just a foot washing. Our feet walk in a world filled with compromise, immorality and political correctness that offends the Truth. We are affected by the world in which we live and the key to recognize, this affect and cleanse our hearts daily in His Word. It is is His Word that washes our feet from the unclean places in which we must walk daily. Jesus said to do this for one another and He meant not merely to do the symbolic foot washing ceremony that many churches do, but that we become responsible for one another, to help each to walk rightly before the Lord. This is only possible with the knowledge of His Word digested into our lives or else how would we know what pleases or displeases the Lord? (I gave a hand out of scripture references for personal study and reflection, some of which are listed on this blog.)
I posed a challenge to all to deliberately take note of the responses we would normally give in difficult situations, whether on the job or anywhere in dealing with people. Start the day with a personal declaration of victory that might sound something like, "Today, it is my choice and decision to dress in peace and love toward all my co-workers, no matter who irritates me. I choose that which pleases the Lord." The more we make these deliberate decisions, the more natural they become because what we are actually doing is renewing the mind and conforming the flesh to the Word of God. We die to self so He lives in us and through us. He increases and we decrease. These are not cliche's but realities of the Christian walk.
In conclusion, our "homework" was to ask ourselves each day, maybe each moment of the day, "What am I wearing?" and decide to put on the clothing that reflects what Christ has done in each of our lives. We may discover that we mentally assent to Christ as Savior but not as the Lord over us and this, too, is part of the journey...letting Christ be Lord!
NEXT GET TOGETHER: Thursday, October 7, 7:30 p.m. TOPIC: Are You Wearing a Yoke or a Garland? E-mail me if you need my address.
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