Clothed or Costumed?

Mark Twain said, “Clothes make the man.”  The humorist finished that quote saying, “Naked people have little or no influence on society!”  My choice of clothing don’t really change me, but how I am dressed most certainly effects the way other people respond to me. When I wear a dress shirt, tie, and jacket, I look like a pastor headed for some formal event, i.e., funeral, wedding, or public meeting. When I’m wearing jeans and a sweatshirt my pastoral role is not as obvious.  Could I do that same tasks in either dress? Of course, I could, but there are expectations.  Americans have largely abandoned dress codes.  Still, what we have on offers clues about our status, wealth, and occupation.  Sometimes those signals are accurate. Sometimes people are just wearing a costume, playing ‘dress up,’  trying to create an image that is at odds with reality.

The issue that really matters is how you dress your spirit!

Christian, do you live in the filthy rags of sinfulness despite being offered a suit finely tailored just for them by the Master?  The Bible tells us "as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12, NIV)  Again, we are told to "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:24, NIV)  The word in the original text of the NT that is translated, “put on,” was a word that would have been used for sliding into a shirt or a robe.   

Make no mistake about true holiness. Pastor Craig Groeschel asserts that ‘nobody falls into holiness but all fall into sin!’  A life that is filled with Christ’s character requires discipline and desire from us. We do not become useful to God, beautifully reflecting His wholesomeness to our world, by accident or effortlessly.  There must be intent, a real desire to be like our Savior.

Clothing can temporarily conceal the truth. Anyone can buy a uniform and look like a soldier, but only basic training creates a real Marine! It is possible to hang out with genuine disciples and learn enough of the lifestyle to adopt a mannerism that conceals an unchanged heart. 

Paul’s command to every Christian that that we must take steps to make sure we are living the reality of our calling, that our lives are appropriately attired in the character of Jesus Christ. In the book of the Revelation, the Lord Jesus tells a lukewarm, unholy church to get dressed!  Allow me to paraphrase His words.  “Stop lounging around in your pajamas, thinking you’re presentable,” He says. "I counsel you to buy from me … white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.” (Revelation 3:18, NIV)

Are you dressed for success, as a Christian?

Are you putting on the righteousness of Christ, inviting the Spirit to scrub away the filth of hatred, lovelessness, greed, or sensuality so that the beauty of your salvation will be evident to all?

Do you wear the suit provided by your Father in a way that let’s others know to Whom you belong?

Here’s a word from the Word. Ponder the promise today and wear it.

"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, The Message)

________________

Do you hear them coming brother,

Thronging up the steeps of light,

Clad in glorious shining garments,

Blood washed garments pure and white?

'Tis a glorious church,

Without spot or wrinkle,

Washed in the blood of the Lamb;

'Tis a glorious church,

Without spot or wrinkle,

Washed in the blood of the Lamb.

A Glorious Church

Hudson, Ralph E.

© Public Domain

Like an Oak Tree

The heavy slabs of concrete in the sidewalk tilted at an angle.  They were displaced by years of steady growth of a tree, exerting force steadily, nearly invisibly.  Through icy winters and hot summers, through years of too much rain and years of drought, that oak tree grew.  It towers over the small house next to which it stands. It has withstood the assault of driving winds, the hammering beak of birds, and the boring of bugs. My  best guess is that it is about 60 years old and growing strong. It is a living thing that will outlive me! 

I want to be like that oak tree!  Isaiah, the prophet, teaches us that in the Spirit we can flourish.  He writes, the Lord will "provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."  (61:3, NIV)  That passage reminds me that becoming a beautiful, strong, God-honoring Christian is a process, not an event! Everything around us is fast.  We want quick solutions and instant answers.  We hate to wait for anything - from the inconsequential momentary delay at the check-out counter;  to the process of healing in our body. (At least, I do. How about you?)   However, becoming an 'oak of righteousness'  calls for patient, living in His grace, letting Him work in us and on us. 

Those who trust God will be known for the beauty they create, the steadiness their presence brings to the world.  His Spirit exerts a powerful force in us that, over time, replaces our sinful nature with the character of Jesus Christ.   As we worship Him, not just with words, but with our life,  He gives us a strength that is quite aptly illustrated by the tall oak tree that stands through storm after storm!  We must be willing to patiently wait on the Lord.  "I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." (Psalm 27:13-14, NLT)

Some of the seeds we plant are like grass, growing green in a few days’ time.  Some are acorns growing over our lifetime into something beautiful that will be a legacy for our grandchildren.  Does your vision for life include the long-term growth of an oak tree? 

John, the youngest disciple of Jesus lived through the first decades of the growth of Christianity.  The last living disciple was serving the city of Ephesus in ministry as an old, old man. He lived through many trials and triumphs.  When he was nearly 90 years of age, the Roman authorities were determined to silence him and so they banished him to a tiny island prison called Patmos.  Was it an inglorious end to him?   Not at all. There he wrote the book that is the last one in our Bible, the Revelation.  In the opening lines we read, " I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet," (Revelation 1:9-10, NIV) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8, NIV)  The man was an oak, a steady strength, whose faith grew in the deep soil of God’s promises that reached from the birth of Creation to the Final Judgment!

Make it your desire to be an "oak of righteousness."   Pray that the Spirit of God will keep you rooted in Christ, growing steadily, unwavering in your commitment.  
Those who "Delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 
. . . are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and
they prosper in all they do." (Psalm 1:2-3, NLT)

Amen.

___________________

Beauty For Ashes

He gave me beauty for ashes

The oil of joy for mourning

The garment of praise

For the spirit of heaviness

That we might be trees of righteousness

The planting of the Lord

That He might be glorified

Robert Manzano

© 1976, 1979, 1983 Maranatha! Music (Admin. by Maranatha! Music)

CCLI License # 810055

Thundering hooves announcing judgment

Most of you have not shared my experience of opening a gate and hearing the rolling noise of horses galloping out to pasture. It’s exhilarating!  Dad always kept horses, breeding, training selling them; when I was growing up. What a rush it was to see those beautiful animals thundering by, manes and tails flying in the wind, heads high, nostrils flared. There's something about a horse!  It makes my heart fills with excitement when I read the opening lines of the 6th chapter of the Revelation.  John uses the picture language that makes his book of hope one of the strangest, yet most wonderful, parts of the Holy Scripture. The chapter describes four horsemen thundering out of the Presence of Almighty God to ride over the Earth. In this vision, we are captivated, warned, and reminded of God's supreme power over history and humanity. A voice rolls across Heaven saying, "Come!"

A white horse bearing a conqueror with a bow at the ready gallops by. The scene repeats and out rides a red horse whose rider carries a sword of bloodshed, followed by a black horse who rider carries a scale, the universal symbol of commerce. This horse announces famine. Interestingly, the one bringing famine is limited by the decree of Heaven. "Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" (Revelation 6:6, NIV) The grain fields may be burnt but they will grow back in one season of planting and harvest. If the vineyards and olive groves are destroyed years, perhaps decades, will pass before they become fruitful again. In this we learn that God is not seeking total destruction of those He judges, but rather is willing to visit temporary suffering on them that they might turn again.
The black horse of famine, in John's vision, is then followed by the pale horse, ridden by "Death, and his companion was the Grave." (Revelation 6:8, NLT)

The message is stark: When men turn away from God and His glory to pursue evil, one result is inevitable: terrible suffering! In those few short verses, John reveals the cycle of violence that has repeated itself throughout history and in every culture.
A leader is given power and when he drinks the cup of authority, he goes mad with the need to control more – people, land, and money.
Conquest requires war, which spills blood by the bucket.
Peace, which allows for prosperity, is gone and soon deprivation arrives with the failure of commerce.
When the crops cannot be planted and people are turned into refugees, disease and death come.

After all of this, John’s vision shifts abruptly from judgment and suffering to praise and beauty. "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:9-14, NIV) 

I, by God’s grace, will stand in that worshiping multitude at the Throne of God. Yes, I may have to endure suffering for a time (and so may you) but I am assured because of Christ, of that eternal life. We must remind ourselves, even as the horsemen of the Apocalypse go thundering by, that “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Though God allows humans to sin and chase their own way, He does not relinquish control.  He, in His own time, declares judgment and renewal.  His judgment brings rebellious people the fruit of their own choices to walk in disobedience. There is a severe mercy in His judgment. He does not wish to annihilate us. His desire is to make us aware of our plunge into self-destruction, so that we will turn once again to Him! Those who turn to Him, find forgiveness and life. And, in John’s Apocalypse, we learn that a time is coming when the King of Kings will declare that time has come to an end, that all things must now be made right, that justice must rule. When that moment of finality arrives, I want to be found in His mercy, don't you?

Here's a word from the Word. Find the promise and hold tightly to it. Though the suffering of those who are rebellious may touch our lives, though we may hear the thundering hooves of the Four Horsemen who announce His Judgment, our hope is secure in Him. And that, disciple, is reason for great hope. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."
(2 Peter 3:9-12, NIV)
________

Holy God, awesome and terrible,
Loving and gracious, kind and severe;
Call me to obedience with these fearsome visions.
The seductions of the systems
among which I live is powerful,
appealing to my sinful nature.

Your Spirit is alive in me and
I pray that You, Holy Spirit,
will guard my heart and sharpen my mind,
that I will both know and live in the Truth.
Make me bold to serve,
full of confidence born of my hope in
the Eternal life that, even now,
is mine through Christ Jesus, the Lord.
Amen.

Sheep-ish

Not many Americans would put “meek” on a list of admired character qualities. The people who know how to get things done, who are able to take charge, get the promotions. Success, at least in the earthly sense, comes to those who assert themselves.  The ‘meek’ end up getting run over, used, and discarded – or do they?  I have lived long enough, endured enough losses, that I now appreciate and understand Jesus’ words about much misunderstood meekness in a different way.  The meek are vulnerable, not weak, willing to allow themselves to be touched by the needs of others, to weep along with those who are broken by life gone out of control.  In this the meek become those through which the Spirit is able to bring healing, hope, wholeness. Jesus’ apparent weakness was really meekness. He suffered but would not exercise His power to punish. He would not let his heart harden to avoid feeling the pain of life. He would not lash out, get even, or retreat.

He did not have to subject Himself to suffering at the hands of cruel people, but He did!  He made the decision to leave Heaven’s love and perfection behind and live among us where rejection was a certainty.  He was called the “Lamb of God.” Yes, that is first a reference to the sacrifice He would become in the likeness of the Jews Passover Lamb.  But, it also describes His meek nature.   A lamb is virtually defenseless.  It cannot run fast. It has no armor. It does not live in a shell. The only safety for a lamb is with the flock and the care of a shepherd. 

The Word teaches us that "our attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form." (Philippians 2:5-7, NLT)  "Become one with him. … no longer count on (your) own goodness or ability to obey God’s law, but trust Christ to save …  For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. (then you will) really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.  …. learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow,  (you) can experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:9-11, NLT) Those of us who live ‘in Christ’ must, like Him, drop our defenses, love those who hate us, submit ourselves to others, as we trust in our Shepherd alone.

Vulnerability that leads to meekness can be forced on us by circumstances, but it can also be a work of the Spirit, a choice He enables us to make.   My very humanity makes me vulnerable. Jesus was “God, in flesh.” He could have crushed His enemies, but He would not.  He chose to be ‘sheep-ish.’  Will I, will you?  The Bible says,  "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5, NIV)   Will you give as good as you get, demand ‘respect’ you feel you deserve; or will you choose to be vulnerable?  In that choice, love is spilled, the most beautiful and healing experience we can know. 

When we feel the temptation to retreat into the ‘safety’ of apathy, or to push back with the defense of power, or to close our hearts from others;  let’s remember Jesus’ vulnerability. When everything in us is screaming for retreat,  try to pray something like this:  “Lord, keep my heart open.  Infuse me with the courage to live with the risk of rejection, to love those who hate, to serve those who do not understand, to be gentle to those who would wound me given the opportunity.”

Here’s a word from the Word. It is both beautiful and challenging. May the Spirit call us to greater meekness. "Who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!" (Isaiah 53:1-4, NLT)  "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7, NLT)  "When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins." (Isaiah 53:11, NLT)

_______________

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

Alleluia, alleluia,

For the Lord God, Almighty reigns.

Alleluia, alleluia,

For the Lord God, Almighty reigns.

Alleluia!

(You are) Holy, holy.

Are You Lord God, Almighty.

Worthy is the Lamb!

Worthy is the Lamb!

You are holy, holy

Are You Lord God. Almighty.

Worthy is the Lamb!

Worthy is the Lamb!

Amen.