my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. Isaiah 61:10-11
When I think of getting all dressed up I think in terms of outward
appearance – what shoes, nylons, dress, jewelry will I put on. I look in the mirror to make sure everything
coordinates and that I look as good as I can.
Yes, I do want to look my best most of the time when I walk out my
door. Man, after all, does look on the
outward appearance.
But God looks on the heart!
I do not think I have ever considered walking out the door having checked
to make sure my interior appearance is spot on – will it be perceived by others
as attractive, well-kempt, in order, neat and clean. Isaiah delighted greatly in the Lord, so
much so that he gave tribute to the clothing God provided for him, and which he
took great honor in displaying. Garments
of salvation, a robe of righteousness – clothing that no human closet can
possibly have hanging; clothing only God can provide.
My feeble attempts at sewing my own garments of salvation will fail every
time. The seams will be wrong, the
length and height and breadth and width will be all the wrong dimensions and in
the end it will never save me, really save me. Should I attempt to piece together a robe
of righteousness from my cache of supplies that robe would be as filthy rags,
it would wear out (and wear me out) quickly for self-made righteousness will
never be able to stand the test of time.
Thieves will break in and steal it away, moths will eat away at the
fibers, adornments will rust away from the humidity of life.
But a garment of salvation provided by God – oh my what a
difference. For all time and eternity
this garment will never wear out. This
garment is noticed by others as the real thing, and this garment is one God
loves to see displayed on multitudes. He
doesn’t make a one-of-a-kind garment with a jacked-up price no one can
afford. Well, truth be told no one can
afford to purchase it, but then no one needs to worry about that either. The enormous
cost of this precious garment has been totally absorbed by Jesus. The price has been paid and He offers it
freely to all who believe and receive this garment of Salvation from His
nail-pierced hands
And oh that robe of righteousness!
What a price was paid on Calvary by Jesus so that I could be given this
robe - free! I don’t have to
manufacture or try to replicate it, in fact there is no possible way to do so
because it is the Blood of Christ that is the thread woven through it which
makes it so precious, so valuable. The
wearer of this robe is reminded over and over again that he or she is saturated
and adorned by something no human can possibly replicate.The garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness bear the mark of the One who offers it to all. Attention paid to my interior wardrobe must be more top-of-mind as I walk out my door so that the penetrating, everlasting Glory of God is on display. That is my assignment on this earth – to show the world my Jesus. My outward appearance can never do this. Oh, the joy of the Lord will be evident as I speak and when I smile and when I reach out to give a helping hand but those acts of graciousness can just as easily dissipate when frustrations arise and my day doesn’t go as I planned. As Isaiah said, I delight greatly in the Lord, and my soul rejoices in my God for He has given me a garment and a robe that no one can take from me, that stays with me throughout eternity, and which a thread-bear world is desperate for. If I walk out my door today purposefully conscious that I wear God’s Salvation and His Righteousness it can make all the difference in the world to someone I meet along my path today who needs to see much more than what my clothes’ closet holds. Such attention to detail can Rock this world!
How humbling. So - I’m putting on my favorite clothing now as I walk out my door to start this day. Oh, may the beauty of Jesus be seen ON me. Amen
suemccarysargis 7/30/2014
An old hymn says it very well:
Let
the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wonderful passion and purity
May His Spirit divine
All my being refine
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
