About a decade ago, the halftime show of The Super Bowl featured a couple of celebrities whose song and dance routine garnered much attention, some of which was quite negative. Their controversial act included a brief reveal that many of the viewing public found distasteful. In the backlash, the exposure was excused as "wardrobe malfunction" and opened up great debate on indecency all over the world.
Whether or not that reveal was indeed a malfunction is certainly debatable but I wonder if, spiritually speaking, we Christians display frequent "wardrobe malfunctions" of our own.
Galatians 4:27 says For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
But sometimes our lives don't look like we are wearing Jesus, do they? In the past couple of weeks, I have been engaged in conversations with other believers and myself where bad behavior (such as irritability, anger, immorality, disrespect, impatience, unkindness, and irresponsibility) have been blamed on hormones, bad moods, poor parenting, difficult circumstances, and, my personal favorite, "stress".
Sisters, this ought not be so!
We are clothed with Christ...therefore, those around us oughta see Him when they look at our lives. If they don't see Him, this is indeed a wardrobe malfunction of the worst kind.
We are instructed (commanded!) in Ephesians 4:22-24 to lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit and to put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
The clothing of the old self is explained in that same passage as things like sensuality, impurity, greediness, lying, uncontrolled anger, stealing, unforgiveness, unwholesome words, bitterness, wrath, clamor, slander and all malice.
Quite candidly, we should not be attired in these behaviors! We don't need to pray about it, work through it, or hope we grow out of it - we need to put aside these clothes! Wearing these things is wardrobe malfunction for a Christian. It's like wearing the opposing team's jersey - we cause ourselves to be identified as belonging to the other side.
Followers of Christ have different clothes to wear because we belong to Him. Our wardrobe is beautifully described in Colossians 3:12-14 : Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony
No need to wonder what to wear for the day - put on the Lord Jesus. He makes every body look the absolute best!
Whether or not that reveal was indeed a malfunction is certainly debatable but I wonder if, spiritually speaking, we Christians display frequent "wardrobe malfunctions" of our own.
Galatians 4:27 says For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
But sometimes our lives don't look like we are wearing Jesus, do they? In the past couple of weeks, I have been engaged in conversations with other believers and myself where bad behavior (such as irritability, anger, immorality, disrespect, impatience, unkindness, and irresponsibility) have been blamed on hormones, bad moods, poor parenting, difficult circumstances, and, my personal favorite, "stress".
Sisters, this ought not be so!
We are clothed with Christ...therefore, those around us oughta see Him when they look at our lives. If they don't see Him, this is indeed a wardrobe malfunction of the worst kind.
We are instructed (commanded!) in Ephesians 4:22-24 to lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit and to put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
The clothing of the old self is explained in that same passage as things like sensuality, impurity, greediness, lying, uncontrolled anger, stealing, unforgiveness, unwholesome words, bitterness, wrath, clamor, slander and all malice.
Quite candidly, we should not be attired in these behaviors! We don't need to pray about it, work through it, or hope we grow out of it - we need to put aside these clothes! Wearing these things is wardrobe malfunction for a Christian. It's like wearing the opposing team's jersey - we cause ourselves to be identified as belonging to the other side.
Followers of Christ have different clothes to wear because we belong to Him. Our wardrobe is beautifully described in Colossians 3:12-14 : Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony
No need to wonder what to wear for the day - put on the Lord Jesus. He makes every body look the absolute best!