What do your clothes say about you?

Mark Twain once said, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." Now, give this one a little thought! I guess Mark Twain did not stop to consider what would come almost a century later! Yet, he made a very pointed observation which has remained a frequently repeated mantra throughout the generations - "Clothes make the man" may be very well true in corporate America, but I'd like us to consider a different type of 'clothing' this morning. Naked people - people without strong moral character - they have little or no influence on society - at least not in a very positive manner.

 
I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations. (Isaiah 61:10-11)

Our passage today speaks of a very special type of clothing. The clothes of righteousness! Back in the day, we spoke of being "righteous" as being "made right" - having our character aligned with the highest standard - the Son of God. In other words, the actions of another (Christ) overrode the actions of our sinfulness - we were "made right" by the actions of his birth, death, burial and resurrection. In turn, we "exchanged" our "filthy rags" of sin for the beautiful clothing of "righteousness". We don't hear a whole lot about this "exchange" of "clothing" today, but if we did I think we might just find out how wonderfully we are "attired" by the robes of righteousness!

Instead of getting all hung up over the word "righteousness", could we use the word "grace" instead? I don't think I am changing the meaning of the passage when I do. Think about it for a moment. Aren't the actions of being "made righteous" really based on the "donning" of God's grace in our lives? The moment of salvation is the beginning of the 'redressing' actions of grace in our lives. Grace is unmerited favor. It is the kind and loving action of another on our behalf when we don't even deserve it. We are clothed with grace. In receiving unmerited favor, we are being given a "gift" we neither deserve nor can we earn. This is not the "clothing" we can go out to buy at some local retailer. It is not the kind we can make ourselves with a simple pattern and a little effort. It is purely and simply a gift like none other.

We have the hardest time understanding grace because it is so foreign to our minds. In fact, we live with the idea of "earning" what we get - so we have a hard time with God "giving" us anything we don't deserve. When I was in the military, they "gave" me several sets of fatigues, socks to match, and shiny black combat boots. For those "special occasions", they provided me with two dress uniforms. To cover me in the cold, I had a field jacket and an overcoat. The "provision" of these items was "free". The upkeep of them, on the other hand, cost me something in the way of time, energy, and determination. Those starched creases didn't come easily!

I had to wash them, iron them to a sharp crease, and shine those boots until I could see my reflection in the toes. There was some "investment" on my part, but it was NOT in the provision - it was in the upkeep. Grace is similar. The provision is God's part - what we do with it is up to us. We can choose to ignore it - like the long forgotten clothes in the back of our closets. We can choose to wear it on "special occasions" - like when we go to church or attend a Bible study group. Or...we can choose to allow it to clothe us on a continual basis. You may be trying to figure out how grace requires "upkeep" in our lives. We are constantly going to God with our "unrighteous" deeds and thoughts - asking him to exchange them for his grace. In turn, we are putting on grace. We are being adorned in the radiance of his grace. In enough time, grace becomes the garment we choose instead of the unrighteous activity or thought. In turn, his grace is made "full" in our lives. If you did not catch it - even the upkeep of grace is still not totally ours! It is only the yielding of our hearts and minds to him - the grace garments are all his part! Just sayin!

From rags to riches

Do you ever put something on, thinking it would make you look good or would be of the newer fashions available in the stores, then immediately pull it off, replace it back on the hanger and return it to the rack at the store? Your first impression was, "I have seen others wear this style and it looks so cute!" Your first impression on you: "Uh....this does not look good on me!" Maybe it is a "girl thing", but I think guys go through this frustration once in a while, too. They may just not admit it! There is one form of "attire" which will never disappoint, never look odd on us, and always flatters us! It never goes out of style. Everyone can 'wear it', but no one wears it quite the same, yet they look so very good in it. That attire is none other than the grace and peace of God. It is what scripture references when we hear about the 'garments of righteousness'.

I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations.
(Isaiah 61:10-11 MSG)

We are "dressed up" in a pretty remarkable way whenever we are wearing the "suit of salvation"! Nothing is more appropriate for whatever the occasion may be, more flattering to our "frame" than even a custom tailored outfit, or produces the "wow" experience we all are hoping for. The "suit of salvation" is not hand-made, but it is 'custom tailored' in a sense. We can try to "cover up" our "frame" in many different ways, but only one thing truly covers us - the blood of Jesus. Think of the wedding - bridegroom all decked out in the tux. Pants with a razor sharp crease, collar and cuffs starched, shoes gleaming with a fresh coat of polish, and the tails flowing gently down the back. He cuts a right fine image, does he not? No flaw is seen at that moment - only the beauty of his frame awaiting his bride. 

The bride - all adorned in bejeweled gown, lotions and potions applied, with the freshest of scents, hair all adorned by the veil, topped by the tiny tiara twinkling in the light. She also captures the attention of those who behold her beauty - no flaw is apparent - all they see is her radiance and his anticipation. As she approaches the altar, her beauty seems to radiate even more. The groom's appreciation of his bride seems to be set on his face and glimmering in his eyes. The crowd is set at awe in that one moment that expresses the beginning of a bond that will not be broken. The garments do much for those who wear them, don't they? They aren't creating the moment, but they sure lend to it!

Outfitted in a robe of righteousness - even in the more intimate times when we can really "let our hair down", so to speak - God outfits us with righteousness! We don't wear our housecoats or bathrobes out into public, but tend to wear them around the house - where we are who we are - getting really comfortable and relaxed. Even in these times of "relaxed intimacy" of being our true selves, we are outfitted in something far better than we could ever imagine - right standing with our Savior. It is amazing, isn't it? God takes care of our "covering" both for public view and for his private enjoyment! Even in the quiet of our home, God adorns us with grace beyond measure, peace without limits, and joy unspeakable.

As our passage points out, even the earth is adorned in beauty - even this earth presents an image of the righteousness of God. I marvel whenever I see the Arizona cacti in full bloom and the desert floor radiant with all manner of wild flowers. Have you ever wondered how something so beautiful can come out of something so dry, prickly, and ugly. The surface looks like nothing good could come forth - then as the desert floor begins to come alive, the blooms surface, adorning what looked so "unfruitful" with tremendous beauty and glory. The barrel cactus wears a crown of flowers. The saguaro wears many little crowns. The ocotillo blooms brightly with rich red flames at its tips. Even the floor of the desert is alive with orange poppies, pink desert peony, fuscia trailing windmills, and the rich redness of the firecracker bush. God leaves his mark even in nature. He adorns and brings beauty out of what is the hardest, driest, prickliest, and sometimes the ugliest stuff within us, doesn't he? Where you see no sign of beauty, just wait. God is at work! He is going to bring forth that beauty in ways you never thought possible! Just sayin!

A Heavenly Scent

In some cultures, the wearing of 'floral' adornments is quite commonplace. Leis or garland wreaths for the head are part of both the Polynesian and some Asian culture. In the islands, they use this as a welcome gift. They are worn at weddings and ceremonies. Natural flower petals and leaves of the area are gathered and then worked into a beautiful display of the most divine smelling adornment.  In a sense, these flowers are like "garland" - adorning the visitor with beauty and anointing them with the aroma of the beautiful flora of the region. In scripture, there are times when 'adornment' is spoken of as being 'garlanded' by some form of interwoven vine, foliage, or even flowers. God has a type of "garland" he would like us to adorn ourselves with that definitely leaves a 'heavenly scent' in one's life. That garland? Grace!

Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life; love her—she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it; never let her go—she'll make your life glorious. She'll garland your life with grace, she'll festoon your days with beauty. (Proverbs 4:4-9)

To be "garlanded" with grace suggests being encircled with grace. As a child of the King, we are 'garlanded' or 'adorned'. Buy wisdom and forage for understanding. Interesting words - buy and forage. In translation these are written as "get" and "develop". Either way, both words are suggestive of action - no sense of inactivity or passivity is displayed in either of the terms. When one goes off to "buy" something, there is first an investment - one has to have something with which to complete the transaction. When we think of wisdom, we are thinking of the person of Christ. God is simply reminding us of the importance of bringing our whole self into the relationship - being willing to lay down self in order to obtain wisdom. It isn't that we are 'buying' wisdom as much as it is that we are yielding ourselves, much as is the custom when receiving a lei in the Polynesian islands. One bends slightly while the one doing the adorning bestows the garland, symbolizing a great deal of respect and honor.

To forage, one has to invest a whole lot of work into searching. This reminds us of the effort we need to apply in gaining wisdom and understanding. It is one thing to be given an object; quite another to "uncover" it by diligent seeking. To get or develop also implies some type of effort on our part. I don't believe God is implying that we get wisdom (Christ) by any effort of our own, but that we are willing to make the investment into the relationship which will cause us to grow in grace - grace bestowed and then we see it develop more and more until that 'heavenly scent' of grace begins to permeate all of our being. When we do our part (seeking with our whole hearts, committing the word to memory, and staying on course), look at what we can count on in return. Wisdom will guard our lives - her oversight will never be missing. This gives me hope because I know my tendency to wander without purpose. Wisdom (Christ) gives me purpose and his oversight provides me with all I need in order to walk uprightly.

Nothing adorns the life of a believer quite like the "aroma" of grace - it is indeed a 'heavenly scent'. Did you ever stop to think about grace having an aroma? Well it does! There is something divine in grace - and divinity exudes an aroma of forgiveness, love, compassion, and long-suffering. The "aroma" we exude is in direct comparison to that which we allow to "adorn" our lives. If it is the Spirit of God's grace, we can count on a heavenly aroma being exuded from our lives, stimulating the spiritual senses of all those around us! Just sayin!

What's that stench?

Have you ever been to one of the Hawaiian islands? I haven't, but I know one of their traditional welcoming gifts is the flowered lei they place around your neck. It is a beautiful arrangement of flower petals, rich with the aromatic beauty of the island from which they were taken, strung together to form this aromatic adornment. In a sense, these flowers are like "garland" - adorning the visitor with beauty and anointing them with the aroma of the beautiful flora of the region, bringing them a little closer to the "heaven" they are about to enjoy while on the island. God has a type of "garland" he would like us to adorn ourselves with - one which proves to adorn us in such a way we cannot help but be brought closer to him in the process.

"Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life; love her—she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it; never let her go—she'll make your life glorious. She'll garland your life with grace, she'll festoon your days with beauty." (Proverbs 4:4-9 MSG)

To be "garlanded" with grace suggests being encircled with grace. There are so many things we are to "adorn" ourselves with as children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but I wonder if we really understand their significance? Buy wisdom and forage for understanding. Interesting words - buy and forage. In a very literal sense, these could be translated as "get" and "develop". Both words are suggestive of action - no sense of inactivity or passivity is displayed in either of the terms. When one goes off to "buy" something, there is first an investment - but one has to have something with which to complete the purchase. When we think of wisdom, we are thinking of the person of Christ. God is simply reminding us of the importance of bringing our whole self into the relationship - being willing to lay down self in order to obtain wisdom. It isn't a casual 'investment' of ourselves, but a willingness to "trade" one's own way for the way of the Lord.

To forage, one has to invest a whole lot of work into searching. This reminds us of the effort we need to apply in gaining wisdom and understanding. It is one thing to be given an object; quite another to "uncover" it by diligent seeking and searching. To get or develop also imply some type of effort on our parts - there is activity in discovering things, isn't there? I don't believe God is implying that we get wisdom (Christ) by any effort of our own, but rather that we are willing to make the investment into the relationship which will cause us to grow in grace. It means we consistently make every effort to be available to learn of him, listening intently to what he has to share with us, and then to put into practice all he has been sharing. When we do our part (seeking with our whole hearts, committing the word to memory, and staying on course), look at what is promised that we can count on in return. Wisdom will guard our lives - Wisdom's oversight will never be missing. This gives me hope because I know my tendency to wander without purpose - to lack wisdom when I need it most. Wisdom (Christ) gives me purpose and his oversight provides me with all I need in order to walk uprightly.

Remember those leis of the islands - rich in aroma, beautiful, and encompassing of the one who is adorned with them? Nothing adorns the life of a believer quite like the "aroma" of God's grace. Did you ever stop to think about grace having an aroma in your life? It is the opposite of the 'odor' of sin! There is something divine in grace and it exudes an aroma of forgiveness, love, compassion, long-suffering, and more of Christ's character that we need so much within our lives. The "aroma" we exude is in direct proportion to the ONE which we allow to "adorn" our lives. If it is the Spirit of God's grace, we can count on a heavenly aroma! If it is our own "fleshly drives", the aroma will be more like a not so pleasant stench! Just sayin!

Fixed exactly as I needed to be fixed

We've talked frequently about not only making right decisions, but what it takes from us when we make wrong ones. We don't always DO right, but we want to think we are right nonetheless. With God, he IS right, therefore he DOES right. With us, we aren't always connecting our new stand in Christ with the actions that should come as a result of our new 'connection' with the one who actually IS right. There is no decision he makes that is NOT on target. Don't you wish you could say the same about yourself? How many times have you bought a certain outfit (on the best sale of the year), determined that the "price" was what mattered, not that it even looked all that great on you, or that you actually needed to squeeze another outfit into your closet? Sometimes of 'doing' gets a little out of alignment with out 'being', doesn't it? 

You are right and you do right, God; your decisions are right on target. You rightly instruct us in how to live ever faithful to you. My rivals nearly did me in, they persistently ignored your commandments. Your promise has been tested through and through, and I, your servant, love it dearly. (Psalm 119:137-140)

The price of that new outfit is important, BUT being something that falls well on your frame, compliments your coloring, and goes with other things in your wardrobe is quite different! There are times we count the cost as too high of a price to pay for something, overlooking the things on the rack with the power to make us look our best. Simply put, we are more concerned with the price than the actual way the item will adorn us. We avoid what might be the most beautiful way we could be adorned, all because we are into the 'bargain-basement' find. The trouble is that God has prepared the finest of things for us - we just don't put on all he has provided! Not every "bargain" is really a "bargain"! Sometimes the ease of the bargain is what attracts us, but it rarely carries the power to make us different in life. When it comes to the directing of our life by God, every move he makes in tailoring our lives is perfect! He is outfitting our minds with the best things designed specifically to affect our heart - so that our DOING can actually match up to our BEING!

His decisions for us are right on target! He is right, so he knows how to produce right in us! Here's the rub: we resist the best decisions because it requires we go a little out of our way, demands a higher cost from us up front, or we just don't believe it is really what we need! God targets certain things in our life because it IS what we need! There are days we go to the store to specifically buy undies - it is because we need them! We don't buy them every trip to the store, but just when we need them! God works on what we NEED - not always on what we want! Scripture tells us that God doesn't give us a stone when we ask for bread, or a snake when we ask for a fish. Yet, deep down, I wonder if we really expect the bread or the fish? Some of us have probably convinced ourselves we want a stone or a snake! Why? We don't see ourselves 'worthy' of the bread or fish. We see a disconnect between our being and our doing - so we believe what we should get from God is based upon our doing, not our being.

When we settle for the "whatever you wanna give me, God" mentality, we are telling God we are fine with the stuff some would see as left-overs in life. Maybe it is because we don't see ourselves as deserving the "best", or there is an underlying fear of seeking the best. God never asks for his kids to "settle". When it comes to his grace revealed in us, he wants us to display his best in us. He adorns us with what we need and all of his adornment is uniquely and purposefully prepared to fit us as we need to be fit! He adorns us as we are - knowing that the 'right fit' for us is found in his love and grace each and every time. Maybe it is time to ask God to direct us to the things that will adorn us in the best possible way. I have done my share of asking God for what I thought I wanted, only to find it wasn't what I needed. It wasn't until I felt the perfection of his best that I realized how much the 'fix me this way' was no real bargain in comparison to his 'fixed exactly as you needed to be fixed'! Just sayin!