A Day-by-day devotional

May 18, 2023

Garment

Chronological One Year Bible Reading Plan: Proverbs 7-10

Scripture of the Day: Genesis 3:21

Some of us are fond of dressing up, especially to the occasion. If it’s a church wedding, we wear smart casual or semi-formal. For opera and theater, we wear a tux or a semi-formal mini dress. For church service, we wear our best clothes. We do not wear a gown by the pool nor are we supposed to wear a bikini if we are attending school.

The way people dress also says much about their personality. You can tell that a person is creative if he or she dresses up with a statement.

As Christians, though, although we may not realize it, we are wearing a very special garment. Through the suffering and death of our Savior and Lord, we have been clothed with salvation and righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). This is the spiritual cloak that sets us apart from the world. This means that although we may still fall into sin, we are already freed from living in sin. The blood of the Lamb has robed us with a right standing before God the Father.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked naked before sin came in. It was only when they sinned that they realized they were naked and felt ashamed. This was because they used to be clothed with the glory and righteousness of God. But upon having sinned, both spiritual and physical death entered the world, and the glory of God which was their clothing, fell out of them. They became naked. Thus, God made clothes for them out of animal skin. This was the first record in the bible that animals have become part of the sacrifice. It became a sign and symbol that life sacrifice has to be made, for the cleansing and atonement of sin. First, it was animals. Then finally the Son of God and afterwards no more.

We have to be aware of what we have been clothed with. Let us not exchange this heavenly garment for cheap rags that either the simple or extravagant pleasures of the world offer.

Reflection: Sometimes, what we wear reflect our work. This happens when we wear a certain uniform. Nurses at a hospital wear white at wards, and scrub suits for surgery. Orchestra players wear black. Firemen wear fireproof red suits. The uniform represents the workplace, institution, or employer. What uniform are you wearing to represent your being a part of the body of Christ? Can someone in the world recognize it?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for purchasing me with your precious blood. I am grateful for the garment of salvation and righteousness that come with it. May I be able to reflect to the world what it truly means. Amen.