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 No idea what to wear today? Want something classic or trendy? Looking for a sharp, tailored fit or a one-size-fits-all attire? Our clothing choices and styles convey a lot about who we are and reflect our personalities. Clothing choices can also reflect how we are feeling on any given day. There are some days that I want to wear a certain pair of capris and flip-flops as nothing else will do. Other days I wear black, while still other times nothing seems to "fit." Spiritually speaking, the Apostle Paul admonishes us to wear "the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 13:14). He encourages us to put on a "heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Col. 3:12). To dress for spiritual success, we must be deliberate (it won't just happen); the clothing must be desired and must fit properly. We also must value the "protection" our clothing provides. Just as I can choose what to wear literally each day, I can also make a conscious effort about how I dress myself spiritually each day. Grammatically speaking, the command to "clothe yourselves" is in the reflexive form (used when the doer is also the recipient of the action). If I put clothes on my child, this is not a reflexive action; however, if I clothe myself, it is indeed reflexive and deliberate. This tells me that I am the central figure in how I dress myself spiritually--I get to choose what to wear each day. And this reminds me that I have little to do with dressing others spiritually (though I might like to make sure others were wearing certain "clothes" or not!). How do we go about clothing ourselves with Jesus? A curious definition to this reflexive action verb is that it means to "sink into (clothing)." Let's reword it: I am to sink/plunge myself into Jesus or inundate myself with who He is. And how do I go about doing this? I suspect for starters, I would obsess about Him, spending time with Him in prayer and through Bible study. Somehow I have to also "make" Jesus near at hand. If I have placed Him on the back shelf of my closet or hidden Him away in a trunk, quite out of sight, it is easier to forget to put Him on. Other close-at-hand items hanging in plain view will capture my attention much quicker. If I aim to wear Jesus, I have to be able to readily access Him. I must be able to "fit" into Jesus. Unlike the clothes we literally wear which outwardly may be clean but may be covering up that which is dirty, when we clothe ourselves in Jesus, it is both outward and inward (the heart). In other words, we cannot dress outwardly in Jesus when inwardly we are not Christ-like. This is the dress code of hypocrites. Why should we wear Jesus? Let's not forget that our clothing serves to protects us. When our hearts are filled with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, we are dressed for battle. We don't take offense when wronged. We are merciful yet modest. We are gentle and meek, desiring to serve instead of be served. We resist gratifying the desires of our flesh. We choose moral goodness and integrity. And we persevere, endure, and suffer long. Go ahead. Make headline fashion news today: Dress yourself in Jesus! You'll never look better. The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment; Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for endyō (Strong's 1746)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2013. 25 Jul 2013. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1746&t=NIV
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