Clothes are a big deal aren’t they? Just take a look in your closet!

We have different clothes for every occasion, activity, and season. We spend a fortune trying to keep ourselves and our family reasonably in fashion, particularly when it’s back-to-school time. But what about our spiritual clothes?

Of course, we know how important it is to "put on the full armor of God." But the Bible describes a richly varied spiritual wardrobe available to us as God’s children, all bearing the King’s Kids label. Check out these verses:

• "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10, ESV).
   
• “Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by” (Zechariah 3:3-5).
   
• “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

And there are many, many more such as Romans 13:12-14, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5, Galatians 3:26-27, 2 Corinthians 5:1-3. (If you have one, you can look in your concordance and find more. Look up cloth, clothing, clothes, garments, raiment, etc.)

There are even descriptions of not-so-attractive spiritual clothing:

• “Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment” (Psalm 73:6).
   
• “May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!” (Psalm 109:29).
   
• “...for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags” (Proverbs 23:21).
   
• “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).

Just as we choose what to wear every morning, our spiritual clothing is our choice as well.

In Ephesians and elsewhere, Paul says we are to "put off" the old, and to "put on" the new (see Ephesians 4:22-24, 6:11-13; Colossians 3:10, 14). Just as we choose what shirt and slacks, or blouse and skirt we’ll wear every morning, so too we choose what spiritual clothing we’ll wear each day.  

How we dress spiritually will affect our attitudes, moods, and effectiveness. How well we dress our spirits will impact others. We need to choose to put on clothes that are washed in His forgiveness and freshly pressed by His mercy, and throw out those old rags of self-righteousness.

It’s a daily activity since we can’t get dressed once-and-for-all. And if we get dirtied during the day, or start out in the wrong outfit, we can always choose to change into fresh clothes any time.

Layering with holiness, purity, love, peace, and humility is always fashionable. And there’s no better power suit than one tailored with faithfulness, righteousness, and compassion.

Before you go out, assess your spiritual demeanor. Are you dressed like a King’s kid -- Très chic! -- or a candidate for the spiritually worst-dressed list?


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