What Should I Wear?!

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12).

Raise your hand if you remember the early-2000s show, What Not to Wear! That’s right, I’m talking about the show with co-hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, who helped many-a-struggling person discover some fashion sense.

At the start of the show, the TV stars arrived in the crazy, mismatched outfits that they would normally wear out and about. Oh my! But after a $5,000 extreme closet makeover and some intense makeup and hairstyle alterations, these people looked completely different.

You and I have been given a little “fashion” advice, too. In Colossians 3:1-17, the Apostle Paul tells believers what to wear and what not to wear. I wonder how the believers in Colossae (modern-day Turkey) reacted to Paul’s ‘fashion tips.’

Out of Style

Paul told the Colossians the cold-hard truth. He explained that certain ways of acting, speaking, and living just don’t look good on believers. As followers of Jesus, ‘garments’ of “impurity, lust, evil desires and greed” just don’t suit us (Col. 3:5). Now this isn’t to say we’re perfect. But from Paul’s writings, it’s clear that the worldly ways have got to go.

The same-old, out-of-style attitudes, actions, and words don’t work anymore for followers of Jesus (Col. 3:7). The good news is Christ has offered us a whole new wardrobe!

Time for a Closet Clean-Out

It’s time for a big ‘closet clean-out.’ When we ask Jesus for forgiveness for our sins, He lovingly and patiently helps us toss out the clutter in our hearts, like “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from [our] lips” (Col. 3:8).

This is definitely a long process. But as we trust and grow in relationship with God through prayer, repentance, Scripture-study, serving, engaging in biblical community, etc., He will transform us to look more and more like Christ in our attitudes, actions, and words.

The Old, Sin-Stained Clothes

Thinking back to that show, “What Not to Wear,” I can’t help but wonder if those TV stars ever held on to at least one or two of their favorite baggy T-shirts or mismatched socks just for the sake of comfort. Old patterns can be enticing.

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to go back and try on those same-old ‘garments’ of gossip, greed, and ungratefulness that I once wore. But remember, that’s not a good look for us now, friend! We are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). We’ve been offered much better clothes—ones that display His power and glory to the watching world, as He works in and through us! What kind of ‘clothes’ am I really talking about?

A Whole New Wardrobe

Paul tells us here in Colossians 3:12-17:

“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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

God has so graciously given us these new ‘clothes,’ and others will notice this drastic change of style as God enables us to think, speak, and live differently as Christ’s examples everywhere we go (i.e., at home, school, in our neighborhoods, and communities, etc.).

When we choose to toss back on those same-old, sin-stained patterns, the good news is God is ready to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him (see 1 Jn. 1:9). We can ask God to help us take off those out-of-style ‘clothes’ and embrace our new ‘look’ as followers of Christ.

Friend, we don’t have to keep wearing the sin and shame of our past. God offers us a whole new wardrobe—one that money could never buy. With God’s help, we can look more and more like Jesus every day. Others will notice the transformation taking place in and through us as God’s Spirit changes us from the inside out.

Let’s pray:

Dear God,
You are awesome! Thank You for lovingly making a way for us to be forgiven for our sins through faith in Jesus. Thank You for making us new and transforming us to exemplify Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control everywhere we go. Please continue to change us from the inside out so we look more like Jesus every day in the ways we think, speak, and act. In Jesus’s name, amen.