Who Gets You Dressed in the Morning?

(pinterest)

 We recently talked about clothes and the garments God has for us, but today I’d like to explore for a minute the topic of who dresses you? We’re not earthly royalty with paid staff to select our clothes and keep them looking their best, who present them to us and then dresses us as if we’re children.

So – who dresses you? Of course, you do, unless you’ve been physically compromised in some way.

As I mentioned before, there are many garments God provides for us. But we don’t stand at our closet choosing between the garments of praise vs attire of gloom and heaviness. Or do we?

Let me ask again, who gets you dressed? You? Or… your worst critic?

If I think of myself as a failure, the cynic in my head may get to be the one who picks out the clothes I’ll wear tomorrow. If I think of myself as not worthy of wearing the nicest clothes in my closet, I may well wind up walking around in public tomorrow looking “less than” as perhaps I don my most faded jeans and the blouse that’s seen a few too many days, or torn sweatpants and that saggy t-shirt that’s faded and stained.

Won’t everyone I meet be impressed?!

Now that’s not to say that these selections might be all that’s in your physical wardrobe, at the moment. But remember, God looks at the heart, only man looks at the appearance.

(pinterest - no my closet doesn't look like this either.)

If we see ourselves as the royalty we truly are, we’ll reach for that newer blouse and our best fitting slacks! (Unless we’re painting the bathroom today.) We’ve all heard phrases like “Dress for Success” or “Dress for the job you WANT to have”.

But what if we just dress as who we are in Christ? I’m His Princess. You may hear me call most every woman and girl I meet “Princess”. That’s because in Christ, that’s exactly who she is! She’s the daughter of the King of kings!

If you find yourself standing on the outside looking in, longing to belong to the kingdom of God – please ask me to introduce you to Him so you can take your rightful place seated with Jesus in heavenly places, at the right hand of God the Father, Himself! (See Ephesians 2:5-7 here.)

But even as Princesses, we all have days where we “just don’t feel like Princesses”. We trip occasionally and listen to a lie or two of the enemy and fall for them.

(pinterest - no, my closet doesn't look like this one, either.)

We ARE the righteousness of God, through Christ Jesus! We don’t have to work at being righteous. We probably need to work the holiness gig a bit, but when we submit our lives to Jesus, He puts His Robe of Righteousness on us Himself. We are righteous – in Him. Righteousness and holiness are not the same thing. Jesus came to earth to trade His Righteousness for our sin. We got the best end of that deal!

Holiness is walking out that righteousness, turning away from sin every time we’re tempted by the enemy of our soul, the one who’s plans include stealing us away from God. But God isn’t about to let that happen.

So today, spiritually speaking, let’s reach for the royal gown, not the filthy rags Jesus already tossed into the fire. Let’s walk with our head held high and our hand in the hand of the Man that stilled the waters and calmed the seas. Take a good look at yourself using the Word of God as your mirror. You are God’s royalty! (See 1 Peter 2:9 here.)

 

(slator .com)

 

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesian 2:5-7

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9