What Not To Wear

Have you ever watched that show "What Not To Wear"?  Either the American or British version.  The show where friends "nominate" their very badly dressed friend for a makeover and the hosts then teach the person what not to wear as well as what they should be wearing.  I prefer the British version.  It's probably because of the accents.  I love British accents!  But I digress.

I have lived long enough to have learned what I should and shouldn't be wearing.  To know what colors work best for me and what styles best suit my shape and my lifestyle.  But from time to time, I make a bad choice.  A buying mistake.  I'm tempted by a trendy style or color, and I make a wrong choice. 

I think the same could probably be said of all us.  We know what we should wear, but from time to time we look into the closet and find that item that makes us cringe.  That makes us ask "who thought that was a good idea?".

It's true in our spiritual "closets" as well.

A few weeks ago, as I was packing for my trip to Florida, I wrote a post about what to wear.  Not so much about colors and styles, as considering what we should be "wearing" spiritually.  That post focused on this verse from Colossians:

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.......and above all these, put on love."  (Colossians 3:12-14 ESV)

That's "what to wear". Today let's take the opposite approach.  Let's think about what NOT to wear.  Here's a partial list, taken from the same chapter in Colossians, although there are similar lists elsewhere in Scripture.

"Put them all away:  anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth."  (Colossians 3:8 ESV)

Or how about this one:

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:  sexual immorality, impurity, passion and desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."  (Col. 3:5 ESV)

I don't know about you, but I am not always kind and patient and loving.  And if I'm honest, I'll have to admit that sometimes I am angry and sometimes I covet and sometimes stuff comes out of my mouth that I'm not very proud of.  Not so much that it's "obscene", but I speak sarcasm fluently, as the saying goes, so what comes out of my mouth should sometimes have been left unsaid!

Maybe today would be a good day for cleaning out my closet, spiritually speaking.  For taking some time to examine what needs to stay and what needs to go.  A good day for some "house cleaning"!

"Put off your old self......and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."  (Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)