“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” — Romans 13:13 - 14 NIV
What does it mean when the Bible says, “clothe yourself with Christ?” Does it mean we should lay aside all bad attitudes and act like Jesus everywhere we go hypocritically? No! That’s not what Apostle Paul meant in Romans 13:13-14.
Paul wrote Romans and specifically addressed it to the believers in Christ (Romans 1:7). So when he got to chapter 13 and told the believers to clothe themselves with Christ, He was saying, “put away all evil deeds in order to represent Christ at where they were well.” He wasn’t encouraging hypocrisy. Instead, he was encouraging them to mature in the ways of God, so much so that they’ll not just focus on listening to the Word but live it out in reality.
Every child of God had been brought into Christ to manifest good works (Ephesians 2:10). So when any Christian misbehaves or does anything contrary to the Truth from scripture, that person isn’t living the life he ought to live since he got saved. And this is happening because many are too lazy or too busy to study the same Bible that will help them.
Today, the same instruction Paul gave the believers in Rome goes to us. Friend, you’ve got to clothe yourself with Christ. He’s your true garment, not that bad habit you’ve been struggling for years to stop or that t-shirt you love best. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. And before you live like Jesus, you must consume His content – the Word and prayer through fellowship. Doing these two spiritual disciplines will improve your life holistically and all-round because your level of divine knowledge will definitely increase.
Forget about which person missed the mark. Jesus is the one God told you to look unto (Hebrews 12:2), not any man. Take your Bible study seriously. Pray well and continue pressing on to walk and work according to the grace given to you for purposeful functionality in life. Amen.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer
Oh God, I pray that You’ll empower me to put on Christ wherever I go, where I’ll not be ashamed to represent You in any sphere of influence. Thank you, Jesus, for grace. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2023 – 034
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