Monday, October 31, 2022

Dress for Success

 


If you have been a Christian for very long, you are probably already familiar with the Armor of God found in Ephesians 6.  But, do you know about the clothes you are supposed to have on UNDER the armor???

 

Colossians 3:12-14 - Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

Things to think about:

·       Wardrobe Malfunction

o   In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve did a pretty poor job of getting dressed. 

o   God made better clothes for them and He’s designed a heavenly fashion for us too.

·       What’s in season this year?

o   Compassion

o   Kindness

o   Humility

o   Gentleness

o   Patience

o   Love

·       Why are we getting all dressed up anyway?

o   So we can be more like the Designer

§  Forgive as the Lord forgave you

§  Bear with one another

·       Why are these articles of clothing needed for us to be in harmony with one another

o   These are the same qualities God lavishes on us in our weakness

o   Which of these qualities can be a little itchy or chafing at times?

·       The armor in Ephesians is to protect against external enemy forces. 

o   Our clothing here is to keep us together internally and not war with one another. 

§  The armor is hard, these articles are soft and gentle

o   Our fight is with the forces of evil, not fellow believers who will inevitably stumble or not meet our expectations in some way.

§  Of course, this is true of us as well; we have let someone down or offended and are in need of others forgiving us.

·       Above all, put on love (not guilt or obligation)

o   This isn’t a costume to pretend you’re something you’re not

o   The sincerity that can only be motivated by love must be the overriding basis for our actions

o   Otherwise, our “good works” are really just filthy rags

 

Dress for Success!

 

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