about you? Do they show that God has given you;
“Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Is. 61:3 The word “garment” in Hebrew teaches us to wrap or cover ourselves. I get the idea we should wrap ourselves in obedience like a beautiful gift where no intruders can infiltrate our minds and take away our purposes and goals.
“Awake, awake, … clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor….” Is. 52:1
“…in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. 1 Peter 5:5
“… as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience.” Col. 3:12
I looked at my unpacked suitcase from a few recent trips and looked around in my walk-in closets and shut the doors and ran away. But, where did I run? Why to the store, internet shopping to store up more. Why? Because I can’t seem to wrap my mind around God’s way. God uses words like “worthless useless linen…when they refused to listen to God’s words and obey…: (Jeremiah 13)
I read many passages from God’s Word and wrote this, then walked across my room to do an errand, like get my coffee to help with the disdain of my behavior about my clothing. BEHOLD! my eyes fell upon the beautiful colorful catalogues for shopping that I had stacked up to read. Did I look? Of course I did for a brief moment. My eye-gate got the best of me for a brief moment because I had not put on the right eyeglasses. My fake New York designer frames felt better to my ego.
Many of us may recall a story of a man and woman that sinned and then ran and hid or tried to hide from God. Likewise until I get dressed in proper attire I may be a fugitive on the run from God. I need to strip off, strip down, and strip away all those parasitic sins that so easily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangle me. Hebrews 12:1 (parts from amp and message)
We are to run with endurance the race God has set before us. A runner knows how to dress appropriately, do we? Our vine dresser will reveal our secret heart pockets. Like when one enters security check points, empty your pockets, place in basket and let our x-ray eyes read your intent.
Yes, thank You, O Lord, for the garment of praise for any heaviness we may have!
thedailylily.com 
Hebrew 12:5-7 NLT “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?[d] He said,
“My child,[e] don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”[f]
As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.”
This is a timely blog that reveals my own heart pockets and the mis-steps I have taken even this morning running away from God by getting my priorities out of order and losing my focus on and obedience to Him.
It seems our strengths can also be our greatest pitfalls and sources of pride if misdirected. For example, one of my strengths of work and diligence if not tempered with obedience and God’s wisdom becomes a tool of ego, pride and compulsion to overdo. Overdo/untimely out of order do, is a parasitic sin that needs to be stripped away. When I read the scriptures Sara quoted from Jeremiah 13 my NKJ translation said in vs 10: “This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing.”
The key for me was if you dictate what you will do rather than recognizing and submitting to God’s dictates and plans for your day and purposes then whatever you do will not amount to anything…just a sheer waste of time and energy for you and probably others. No lovely garments.
A runaway mind needs to stop and do what Sara said, …”wrap my mind around God’s way.”
In that story in Jeremiah, there are several lessons taught…such as…”our own garments (righteousness) are as filthy rags”. God showed Jeremiah that pretty clearly. Or the Scripture…”Look at the lilies of the field…which neither spin nor sow but they are adorned more beautifully than anything Solomon could come up with. Oh, and don’t lay up your treasure in your closets and wardrobes where moth and rust and dust and mice and any other critters can get at them and ruin their beauty. But store up treasures in heaven where none of that stuff is even allowed.
Yes, it’s time to strip away, strip away, strip away all the weights that burden us down with their upkeep, maintenance and replacement. Jesus told His disciples not to bring an extra shirt of pair of shoes on their mission trips. He is SOOOO right. How we howl and moan when we don’t have our customary conveniences . I’m number one among the moaners and howlers. Isn’t that too bad for me?
Sara has been teaching about minimalism and it is like a breath of fresh air to finally see that all the things that we surround ourselves with, will be brought to naught and why do we bend under the burden of acquisition and the next thing and the next thing and one more thing to acquire when they just slow us down and obscure our view of the CROSS!!
Sometimes I think I take on weights that I have no business taking on. Those are garments that show in your countenance, a heaviness. Your countenance says to someone who would love to come up to talk about Jesus – oops! heaviness – run. They run!
Rena, I agree with you. And; some of us are looking to display God’s Glory in our countenance as our inward love shows in our outward appearance. When others see a flag flown high with words of encouragement, knowledge, wisdom and hope they run to us and not away from us.
It is hard to keep the mind focused and the heart aflame so The Holy Spirit has a vessel to display God’s Glory.
Rena, I see from your words that it would be good right now to strip those weights off and run the race with endurance….you go for it!
Sara,
I reread the scripture in Colossians 3:12 in the Life Application Study Bible, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Then I continued to read verses 13 through 15, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
Help me Lord, today and everyday to be clothed with this tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, that You have told us clearly here, in Your Word that we must “wear”. Lord, strip me of any unkindness, impatience, “no mercy”, “no humility” and “no gentleness”, and help me to recognize and accept and be obedient, when situations make it difficult/challenging to do so. In Jesus name, Amen.
Needles, a bold, real bold prayer you just prayed. Sure don’t need morning coffee after reading this prayer!
I Amen with you Needles.
The un’s, the im’s, the no’s are weights that disqualify us from the race and make us unusable vessels for God and for others.
When we do as the scriptures in the blog indicated, ie clothe ourselves with strength, put on garments of splendor.. put on humility toward one another…which brings the favor of God’s Grace (see above scriptures)… shows me that the more I trust God, the more I will humble myself before Him and see His strength in my life which ultimately brings Him Glory.
I heard someone singing these words:
“Circumstances in life may bring you so low, all the way down to your knees. But I am determined that I will stay down on my knees . Because I’m coming out of it all with my hands up!!
I have come to understand God’s Glory is revealed in the strength of humility of man when humans place their trust in His strength.
Needles, I have been thinking over your last comments and prayer as I hurried around today doing many errands. Now, am I to take faults to mean sin, like lying, deception, etc. Or, unkindness, impatience, “no mercy”, “no humility” and “no gentleness”, these being character flaws that one may be or may not be working on. If the latter be the case then I am to have patience with them and kindness toward them. Seems like there is a line here.
Needles, the line I am speaking of (above comment) is between known sin and what I am calling character flaws. I agree with your prayer, how I need to continually clothe myself with all that you have named above. I also ask for discernment and wisdom and understanding to live holy as you wrote God has called us to do. It is a lot…a life time goal to live holy….Colossians 3:12 in the Life Application Study Bible, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves,…”
HUM, Selah, pause and think….Today, Saturday, July 10, my FB friend, The Bible , sends me this message…”Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Colossians” 3:12&13
Too much repeat for comfort….
It seems we most desire and yearn for these virtuous traits of patience, tender-hearted mercies, putting up with one another’s little faults, but when the offenses come we faint and begin to display irritation, impatience, resentment becoming annoyed and frustrated with others’ flaws.
I pray that I could live a holy life, forgiving and being forgiven like Father forgave us through the shed blood of Jesus. We need to pray that, every minute, every hour, every day because Jesus said, “It needs be that OFFENSES will come.” The temptations & trials are in the world and even between brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be offended, sooner or later. We will be tried, often. We will be tempted, continually. And, we will be judged, (by God) But we must be humble and patient with one another, making allowances for each other’s faults. Not just on Sunday, either. We must forgive everyone who offends you, and not be puffed up holding it over someone who has traits that we do not approve of or like or that “bother us”. This is a hard saying. Who can hear it? Who can bear it? But Jesus said so, so we must try with all our hearts to do this.
This is truly dying to self. And what a dirge we can sing over our dead egos. It really is a hymn of praise to GOD when that OLD THING is dead and buried.
This is a deep and wide discussion, I think. It takes a lot of discernment to know when another has come along and has no other input in your life but to steal your joy and stifle your free spirit.
If all are in the Body of Christ working together for a healthy body with Jesus as the head then extend and display your glorious clothing of tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.” Colossians” 3:12&13 When you extend your clothing to others and they put them on then they should begin to display the same character. If not, aren’t we all walking around with the wrong size, style, etc. clothing on.
I tell you right now I like beautiful clothes such as we have just mentioned. I want to and will leap away from old filthy rags. Wear them if you want but I don’t and I won’t!!!!!
When we do not make allowances for one another’s faults, as you stated above, and grow short of mercy and kindness then we do display our own filthy garments and selfish motivations. That goes for all of us in the Body of Christ. We each have our own defense about our actions or reasons…I know I do.. in counter actions. I saw some of this at the convention where hundreds of Christians were gathered in worship. Some things and things said by fellow Christians were “annoying”. If we deny this, we would be lying.
But as I was listening and studying Philippians, which is currently my favorite book of the NT because it is speaking to my heart as the Lord is dealing with me about these issues and how to resolve them in my own life…I found that P T A is a good way to remember about the real goals of the Body of Christ in the earth today and the importance of fellowship to remain united in the Church.
P = PURPOSE We must be agreed and united in the same purpose and know what that purpose is….which is to accomplish the mission God has given us and the importance of cooperation
T= Thought….thinking great thoughts of God which was also in Gary’s teachings…great thoughts of holiness and conformity to God’s will
A= Actions…acting upon those thoughts and in support of those or that purpose.
Psalm 1 says that if we do all these things we will be like green trees planted by the rivers of water. We will prosper and not shrivel up like old prunes when the “heat” is on and we will be well-watered or rather RIVER-WATERED…by the rivers of God. But the wicked in thought, purpose and action will dry up and blow away.
Sara, that is right! The Lord said STRIP away, Strip off and strip down those stinky attitudes and thought processes and defenses that hinder our progress and steal the anointing. It’s high time to prepare to enter the King’s palace not in filthy rags but in glorious clothing from the greatest Designer, that haute couture of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If someone is causing you to get off track maybe one should have a face to face and eye to eye chat! Or, forget it and move on….