Is Your Wardrobe Changing?

Indian summer is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Hues of burnt orange, vibrant gold, and rustic red mixed with the last bits of deep green, inspire feelings of warmth and passion. Beginning preparation for the long winter, our thoughts naturally turn to fall harvest. The cool crisp foods of summer give way to pot roast, soup, and of course pumpkin pie. We sip apple cider, mulled or straight, as sweatshirts and fleece become part of our wardrobe. In a seemingly effortless transition, we move from swimming pools and bathing suits to football games and jackets.

Nevertheless, it’s not an effortless transition; it requires a conscious decision. We could stay in our bathing suits and freeze, but we don’t – we change with the seasons.

So, let me ask. Is your wardrobe changing as you continually prepare for eternal life and the marriage supper of the Lamb? Will you sit comfortably clothed at God’s table, drinking in the warmth of His love? Or will you be one without a wedding garment? (Ps. 23:5; Rev. 19:7; Matt. 22:11-12)

When God removed the scales from our eyes, allowing us to see clearly the Lord Jesus Christ and His great gift, we may have repented, believed and received. If so, at that moment He clothed us with salvation and covered us with a robe of righteousness. (II Chron. 6:41, Ps. 132:9, Isa. 61:10) However, God also gave us a free will and a responsibility to allow Him to work in us so we, in turn, could work out our own salvation and grow in Christlikeness. (Rom. 12:2, Phil. 2:12-13, Col. 3:10)

But how is this accomplished in our lives? Is it an easy task and an effortless transition or does it really take work? Just as the transition from summer to autumn takes a conscious decision and some toil, so too does our preparation for eternal life.

Speaking through the New Testament writers, God instructs us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and the new man, in order to subdue our flesh and be clothed with humility. We are to cast off the works of darkness, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation. In daily yielding to the will of God, we strive to put on the armor of light and the full armor of God. In this way, we stand against the enemy, store up treasure in heaven, and assure our readiness as the bride of Christ. In that glorious moment of approaching our Bridegroom, we are clothed with fine linen, clean and bright. But outside are those who have not made themselves ready. They wear no wedding garment and for them there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Rom 13:12-14; Eph 4:24; I Pet 5:5; Eph 6:11, Rev 19:7-8)

So as we go through this delightful season, remember if we received Christ Jesus the Lord, we are to walk in Him for we are the elect of God, holy and beloved. Therefore, we must be ready in season and out of season by continually changing our spiritual wardrobe. Choose to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and forgiveness, because Christ forgave you. But above all, put on love, which binds all things together. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Col. 2:6; 3:12-17)