\u201c\u2026for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.\u201d\u00a0 Galatians 3:26-27<\/p>\n
How someone dresses says a lot about them. Rebellious teens dress in a manner designed to irritate their parents.\u00a0 Creative types veer toward more avant garde clothing.\u00a0 Over-achievers try to dress like their bosses.\u00a0 How we dress is an expression of our personalities.<\/p>\n
So then what does it mean to be \u201cclothed\u201d in Christ? It means that our outer appearance \u2013 the way we act, dress and speak \u2013 is a reflection of our inner faith.\u00a0 When we are clothed in Christ, the people we interact with should have an inkling of our\u00a0religious faith.\u00a0 They don\u2019t discover our faith because we give them religious pamphlets or wear cross necklaces.\u00a0 They discover our faith by observing how we operate.<\/p>\n
For example, if you believe that God has forgiven your sins, the way you treat other people is going be different. You aren\u2019t going to judge others.\u00a0 You instead will be cognizant of your own sins for which you need to repent.\u00a0 Similarly, if you see someone doing something wrong, you aren\u2019t going to jump up and tell them that they are a bad person.\u00a0 Instead, you will gently try to steer them in the right direction.\u00a0 Or you simply will present a good example and hope that they will follow it.<\/p>\n
If you believe that everything we are given, including our bodies, is to be used for the glory of God, that will dictate how you care for your body. You will treat your body as a gift and won\u2019t abuse it by overeating, or by abusing alcohol or drugs.\u00a0 You will wear clothing that sends a message that your body is not there for others to abuse sexually.\u00a0 Rather you will dress in a manner that conveys that your body is to be treated with respect and gentility.<\/p>\n
If you believe that you are God\u2019s representative on earth, then you will be very careful with how you speak to others. You\u2019ll ensure that your words are only ones of encouragement and not criticism.\u00a0 You won\u2019t get angry when others disagree with you.\u00a0 Instead, you\u2019ll have the maturity to know that it is more important to be kind than to be right.\u00a0 And you won\u2019t boast of your own skills, but instead you’ll have the humility to know that you are nothing without God.<\/p>\n
Clothing ourselves in Christ is more important than we realize. When people know that you have a religious faith, they are watching you.\u00a0 They are interested in whether you are going to \u201cwalk the talk.\u201d\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t, if you are cruel or insensitive, that denigrates Christianity.\u00a0 It makes Christians look like a bunch of hypocrites.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit that at times we all are hypocrites. No one clothes themselves in Christ perfectly.\u00a0 However, our goal is to walk the talk, most of the time.<\/p>\n
This week, consider whether you are clothing yourself in Christ. Take stock of how you are treating others.\u00a0 Think about how you carry yourself in public and at home.\u00a0 Do your actions, demeanor and appearance convey Christian love and respect?\u00a0 If not, it may be time to change your outfit.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201c\u2026for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.\u201d\u00a0 Galatians 3:26-27 How someone dresses says a lot about them. Rebellious teens dress in a manner designed to irritate their parents.\u00a0 Creative types veer toward more avant garde clothing.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-clothed-with-christ"],"yoast_head":"\n