Change of Heart, Change of Clothes

Change of Heart, Change of Clothes

The breeze from the north this morning whispered of autumn, sweaters, and boots.

But who are we kidding? This is September. In Texas.

While I love my boots and sweaters, they’ll stay on the shelf a while longer. Texans layer as temps swing twenty to thirty degrees in the course of a day, so my shorts will stay close at hand.

God, however, calls for an entire wardrobe change. A change of heart calls for a change of clothes. Paul tells us what to throw out in Colossians 3:5-10 (NIV):

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Can’t you just hear Paul? “Get rid of it. Clean out your closet. No holding on to a few favorites. Out they go.”

Paul tells us what we should put on in verses 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.

My son’s school requires uniforms. Khaki shorts and a polo that is red, white, or blue. It’s easy to figure out what to wear when your options are limited.

Since you can only wear one outfit at a time, limit your options to the good stuff.

The stuff that shows you are His.

Questions:

Why do you think Paul uses a clothing metaphor for character traits?

What clothes best reflect your personality?

Which of your character traits best reflect God?

What needs to go?

What will replace it?

Tweetables:

God calls for an entire wardrobe change. Click To Tweet
A change of heart calls for a change of clothes. Click To Tweet
Clean out your closet. No holding on to a few favorites. Out they go. Click To Tweet
Since you can only wear one outfit at a time, make room for the good stuff. Click To Tweet

Leave a Comment





Join Gayle

Subscribe to get my latest content by email.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Recent Posts