Stripping Down

She peers into her closet, searching. There’s a cute sweater – just what she thinks she needs. After all, hadn’t the words just slipped through her lips as she whispered to her Jesus, “I want to be more like You. I need to be kind, to be compassionate, to show love.”

That pretty red sweater with the “kind” label should do the trick.

It wouldn’t button. It was the right size but it wouldn’t button.

It didn’t fit around her. She really wanted to wear that sweater, to show kindness, but it just didn’t work.

That’s what we do.

We try to look like Him, we want to look like Him. We attempt to put Him on

but we still stink.

We really stink.

Because we didn’t take off the old clothes underneath. And they stink.

Colossians 3 talks about taking off the old clothes. Clothes with ugly labels. Labels that read anger, impurity, envy, slander, and lying.

Some of us look like Michelin men walking out our front doors because we don’t take off the old stinky clothes. Then we try to dress up with “God clothes” on top of all the ugly.

That’s why it says we are to put those things to death. Separate ourselves from them. Take them off and burn them in the burn pile.

THEN.

Then we put on the sweaters, the pants, the pretty shoes and the adorable hats.

We clothe ourselves with Christ. We forgive as He has forgiven us. Then ABOVE ALL, we put on LOVE.

We put on love because it pulls all things together in harmony.

Then comes the peace. Oh, that peace we long for.

Take off. Put on. Be forgiven. Forgive. Be loved. Love.

And then be thankful.