What are you Wearing Today?

My wife tells me that changing seasons are a real nightmare for a lady! Getting the right clothes for the new weather patterns can be very challenging especially when, as at present in the UK, the seasons are sort of blending into one. As for me I don't worry at all about seasons and my decisions on what I wear each day are largely made on whatever is nearest to the wardrobe door! I seldom think about what to wear and certainly don't spend long choosing - well there's not a lot to choose from for us blokes, is there?

In my Bible reading today I found a real challenge to think more deeply about what to put on today. Colossians chapter 3 describes some of the ways in which First Century Christians lived before they started following Christ and how that changed once their faith started affecting the things they "put on" daily. "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices." (Col. 3:8-9) That is a wardrobe of clothes as ugly as the bottom of an eagle's nest after dinner time! Those are the old tattered garments of a life lived without Christ and with no concern for others or their feelings.

Within a few lines, though, the author of the New Testament letter shows the contrasting outfit that Christian believers are invited to "put on" each day. "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity". (Col. 3:12-14). Now that really would bring about a new season in my dress code!

So as we face the world today, let's choose what we will wear from the wardrobe of faith and peace that Jesus holds open before us. It will lead to peace in our hearts (vs 15), unity in local churches, and a powerful sense of Christ's lingering presence in the world reflected in the lives of his modern day disciples.

Adjusting our Focus

An Olympic gold medal winner was asked to comment on how long he took running the 7-minute race in which he had just triumphed in London 2012. 'Well, to be honest', he said, 'that race took me 12 years to complete'.  Quite clearly his life has had one specific focus for more than a decade and it was fulfilled in only 7 minutes!  This is the kind of focus that was in the mind of the great Christian leader Paul (aka Saul of Tarsus) when he said 'one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me..'

'One thing I do' is focus.  '40 things I dabble in' - now that's most of us.  The centre of Paul's focus was God's calling on his life. He kept asking himself 'why has God taken hold of me?'  He ran the race of faith and service with this goal constantly in view.  Nothing else mattered as much.  Education, upbringing, tradition, religious duty and trying to please others were all regarded as rubbish in order that he might discover his real purpose and pursue it with all his heart.

Here is Paul again 'I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.' (The Message)