THE BEST SPIRITUAL ATTIRE

Clothes are of paramount importance to mankind. They don't just cover shame and nakedness, they bring out the best in our appearance. They come in different designs, especially, according to cultural backgrounds, and we all have a set of clothes worn together, for a particular occasion or purpose. We also feel great in them, particularly when we get the outfit right. Symbolically, the Bible used clothes such as garments to signify several human conditions and situations. For instance, the garment of praise covers the spirit of heaviness (see Isaiah 61:3). We also have the garments of salvation and a robe of God's righteousness, as specified in Isaiah 61:10 (NLT).

Reference: Colossians 3:12 New International Version (NIV) "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

As God's chosen ones, we have a sense of dressing because God has mindfully selected us for His special purposes. God calls us, His chosen people, holy and dearly loved. He handpicked us to be part of His family. Sometimes we notice something unique when we see a particular family: they dress in a certain way that brings excitement in the air. And customarily, their dress sense is capable of distinguishing them from other families.

Today God is telling us as His own family, 'I have a dress code for you, as you attend to my purpose'. Paul reminds us that God has the best attire in mind for us. Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. They are perfect combination of attire, spiritually designed to activate the Christlike nature in us.

The first part of the attire is a heart of compassion: A heart of compassion is a heart that responds to God, and to others, with love and concern rather than selfishness. There is nothing more important than a heart of compassion because it does not only inspire the other Christlike attributes, it also binds us together as a wonderful family, under Christ. True compassion recognizes the discomfort or pain of others, identifies with it, and then takes action to help. Compassion doesn't just empathise, it gets involved and prompts us to act on behalf of others ( see Zechariah 7:9-10 NIV).

The second part of the attire is kindness: Kindness has two main Greek words. One is chrestotes, which means 'the goodness of heart'. The other is philanthropia, which means, the kindness of God toward man. Kindness is moral goodness or integrity. The term refers to how a person treats others, especially those who are not in a position to pay them back. We read that David demonstrated the kindness of God to Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:1-13 (NIV). He asked, "Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?" Romans 2:4 (ESV) also tells us that the kindness of God leads to repentance.

The third part is humility: God's chosen ones are to wear humility, an attribute valued by God throughout Scriptures. The word comes from the Latin word, 'humilitas', which is translated as "grounded", or "from the earth", since it derives from humus (earth). From this latin definition, it simply means, 'down to earth'. It is very important to add humility while dressing up so that we don't act arrogantly or unfairly towards other people (see James 4:6).

The fourth is gentleness: It is a sign of having authority, yet being in control of the strength and power thereof. That means, instead of responding harshly to the hard hearted, even when they appear mean, you remain calm in such circumstance. A gentle person can exercise patient self-control, restraint and tolerance, under pressure. It is displaying unfailing courtesy and forbearance under great provocation. However this is not a sign of timidity or weakness. It is one of the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22-23.

The fifth is patience: Patience is the ability of a Christian to wait for an expectation or endure trials, or remain calmly resolute, while dealing with something challenging. The Bible says in Romans 6:15 (NIV), 'And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.' Patience perfects the Christian character. It enables us never to faint or grow weary, but to persevere in a confident expectation of the fulfilment of whatever God has declared concerning us. It can strengthen a Christian with all power through the Holy Spirit in the inward man.

All of these attributes closely reflect the list describing the fruit of the Spirit and we can clothe ourselves with them to look great all the time.

Scripture Reading - Romans 13:14; 2 Corinthians 6:6-7; Philippians 2:1-2; Ephesians 4:2.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for uniting me with Christ, for positioning me to be like-minded with Him, to be in one in spirit and of one purpose with Him. Through your love, you make my joy complete and daily, I wear the clothes of the Spirit, such as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience without struggle. Thus they make me a dependable pillar of strength for those around me and cause me to overflow with the power of the Holy Spirit. Thankfully, I fix my eyes on the love you share with me in your Word and I'm empowered to live accordingly, in Jesus' Name, Amen!