What Are You Wearing?

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

What do you clothe yourself with in the morning? Do you worry or fuss about what to wear so that you will make a good impression to your family, friends, and/or co-workers? Or perhaps it is in garments suitable for a day of housework, hiking, or sports events. Appearance is quite the deal in today’s society, and people are often even judged by what they wear and how they present themselves. Every morning we get up and spend time taking great care in clothing ourselves, and the daily dilemma of what to wear can be exhausting! But at what point are we more concerned about our outward appearance than what we wear in our heart? I am pretty sure that what we wear doesn’t have near the impact on others as what is in our hearts.

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14)

What attitude do you put on in the morning and wear throughout the day? Do you spend time getting ready to ensure that your attitude and actions will line up with scripture? We are instructed to clothe our spirits with kindheartedness, humility, tenderness, patience, and compassion. But do we sometimes (or often) carry around blame, resentment, unforgiveness, or jealousy?  Sometimes we let life “stuff” sneak up on us and rob us of our joy and peace, and most of us can identify when our bad attitude and behavior is displayed outwardly in our words or conduct. There are times when we react with negativeness, criticism, impatience, self-centeredness and rudeness (to name a few!). These are attitudes we must reject, because it is our duty in all circumstances to have a humble and submissive heart as defined by scripture. Our wardrobe should consist of encouragement, humility, unselfishness, generosity, comfort, joy, thankfulness, and victory! And as we clothe ourselves with these virtues, the last garment we are to put on is love, which holds all the others in place.

“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth, and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:14,15,17)

God gives us the perfect dress code in the Bible; His dress code is about the heart. When we dress ourselves in the mornings we need to clothe ourselves with the beauty that comes from within and put on God’s armor. We must put on…

• ·         The belt of truth that helps dismiss the lies Satan tempts us with

• ·         The body armor of God’s righteousness to guard our hearts throughout the day

• ·         The gospel of peace so that we are prepared for any circumstance that comes our way

• ·         The helmet of salvation which protects our thoughts and helps us to speak the truth from God’s Word

To dress up spiritually fashionable we must make a commitment every day to doing life God’s way. What matters the most is that our manners, character, opinions, and the way we treat others reflect our love for Him. It is our obligation to clothe ourselves with tender-hearted mercy, confident and with the full assurance of the armor of God. No matter where we are, we must always take great care to wear love, clothe ourselves spiritually just as much as physically, and make a conscientious effort to put on the attire of a servant.

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