We’ve all been there!! Standing before the closet doors wondering “What should I wear?” The day‘s schedule zooms through your head at hyper speed. “Do I have any important meetings? Am I meeting any clients? Do I need to look special for anything today?” We try to figure out what we should wear so that our clothes look appropriate given the events for the day. If it’s Sunday morning the answer to the question “What should I wear?” will be different than the way you answer that question on a Saturday morning yard work day. Wearing the right kind of clothes is an important decision.

 

            It’s too bad that such a decision is made so early in the morning. Have you ever noticed during the day that you made the wrong choice on something you were wearing? Maybe your socks don’t look right with your pants. Maybe you dressed casually because you forgot about that important meeting. It can be embarrassing to choose the wrong clothes. Perhaps you didn’t realize that there was a spot on your shirt that the laundry didn’t get out. 

 

            God tells us that our sins are like those spots and stains. We may not physically see them, but we know that they are there. We know that the stain of sin prevents us from ever wearing “clean clothes.”  Because we inherit sin from Adam, we are born with that blemish. It is our natural default to llok out for ourselves first. It is a result of our sinful nature that out of our hearts come less than complimentary words about that person across the street or across the pew. We so easily fall into slander and gossip, even though we know the way that we should be acting and living. These sins are spots that we are powerless to remove.

 

            Everyone learns (or should learn) from their mother some secrets about getting out stains. Hot water for a fruit stain, hairspray works for ink stains, Era soap applied generously to a grass stain. There are several methods, several ways to remove stains from our clothes, but there is only one way to remove the stain of sin.  If you apply blood to a soiled shirt, you’ll end up with a shirt that is more soiled, but if you apply blood to a soiled life you come out with perfection.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb(Revelation 7:14 ^NIV).   The Lamb who was slain is our Lamb, our Lord, our Savior. He came to be our stain remover. He came to wipe our robes clean, to wash them from stain and wrinkle and defect. He came and made us perfect children of God.

 

            And in the light of that forgiveness we can live out our days. In the joy that comes from the cleanliness that Christ brings, we can now seek to live according to his Word. Paul tells us how we can thank God for his cleansing love. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 4:12 ^NIV). These are the clothes that we can wear to replace our former garments of selfishness and pride. This is the way that we can live now that the old way has been put to rest. This is the privilege that we have as we carry out the Christian life.

 

            When you get new clothes, you want to show them off.   It’s no fun if they just sit in the closet, you want others to know what you have. You want others to see them and to share in your joy. We can share the joy of our new Christian clothes as we live out these virtues in our lives. As we allow them to impact the way that we interact with one another. Paul’s words continue, Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 4:13 ^NIV).

 

            Christ has shown us perfect love and now he asks us to pass that love along into the ways that we deal with others. May his love for you, shown in his life and death, motivate you to clothe yourself with compassion and humility, to bear with each other in frustrating times, and to forgive others as they wrong you. Let Christ be example and guide and we seek to carry our Christian love.

 

         I can think of no better way to conclude these words of encouragement than the way that Paul concludes his. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 4:17 ^NIV).

 

         God’s blessings as you strive to life for one another, all the while living for Him!!!