How would you dress for a job interview?
What would you wear in order to do some maintenance on a car?
What would you put on to go into battle?
How we dress in our physical world often affects our ability to accomplish certain tasks. For instance, I cannot imagine trying to change the oil in my car while wearing a business suit, and I certainly wouldn’t saunter into a job interview in ratty jeans and a t-shirt. It’s likely I in the former case I’d ruin my clothes (and probably not do the oil change properly); in the latter case I wouldn’t get the job.
How we “clothe” our minds and hearts matters even more than how we clothe our bodies. While writing out Luke 12:35 (ESV) for our February Scripture Writing, I was struck by the phrase “stay dressed for action.” The implication was to be ready for the coming of Jesus and not allow oneself to become apathetic, overly comfortable, or downright lazy. This passage brought to mind the many instances in scripture where the metaphor of being “dressed” or “clothed” is used (such as the armor of God in Ephesians 6), along with examples in which people were clothed for a certain job or station (e.g. the high priest).
Some passages for this month were chosen from the ESV and are translated differently in the NKJV and NIV. For example, in 2 Chronicles 24.20 the ESV reads, “The Spirit of God clothed Zechariah…” However, the NKJV renders this same verse as “Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah…” According to the Hebrew interlinear, the word used literally means “to clothe.” So, although other translations removed this metaphorical style to illuminate the full meaning, the idea of “being clothed” appears in the original language.
Life is both unpredictable and overly predictable, causing us to be alternately anxious and complacent. God has called us to a different approach to life. He commands us to be prepared, guarded, and ready to serve. If we are not “dressed for action” we will not be able to withstand temptation nor serve adequately when the opportunity arises. Let’s be “dressed for action” so we can serve the Lord well.
I hope you’ll join us as we write through the scriptures this month!
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Special thanks to my sisters in Christ, Liz Smith and Sara McBroom, who provide their wisdom and support each month with these plans.
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