Improving Your Wardrobe

As those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

–Colossians 3:12

When I went to seminary, male students had to wear a coat and tie to class every day. As you can imagine, some of the students balked at that requirement. But the seminary had a philosophy behind the dress code: they believed being called to ministry was just as respectable as being a banker or lawyer, and therefore ministers of the gospel should dress in a way befitting their high calling.

Today, it seems like most dress codes have been eradicated–except in the Word of God. Did you know the Bible tells us how we are to dress as Christians? In the passage we’re going to look at this week, Paul said we ought to dress in the likeness of Jesus Christ–not physically but spiritually. Every day, we ought to put on spiritual garments that are consistent with our high calling in Christ.

Remember, Colossians 3 is about how we can become like Jesus Christ in our actions, attitudes, and affections. To be like Jesus, there are certain behaviors we need to take off and lay aside, just as Jesus took off His graveclothes and laid them aside when He was raised from the dead. Those old behaviors may be fitting for a non-Christian, but they have no place on a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Now, it’s not enough just to take off certain behaviors; we need to replace them with another set of behaviors befitting our high calling in Christ. Today, we tend to define Christians by what they don’t do–for example, people might say a Christian is somebody who doesn’t do illegal drugs, get drunk, or go to X-rated movies. Certainly, the Bible says there are some things we’re to abstain from. But Christians should also be noted for what they do and who they are.

For the last three weeks, we’ve looked at the old garments we’re to take off: sensual sins, such as immorality; sins of the temper, such as anger; and sins of the tongue, such as slander. In verses 12–14, Paul listed the behaviors we’re to put on instead: “As those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” This week, we’re going to learn what it means to put on these character qualities and dress for spiritual success.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Improving Your Wardrobe” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.