Isaiah 61:10—62:3

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. ¹For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. ²The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. ³You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

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Have you ever looked into your closet and said, “I just do not have a thing to wear!”?  There are plenty of clothes, but they just do not fit the occasion.   For daily life in the world, we can always run to a store to purchase the clothes we consider appropriate for any given occasion.  But there is no store we can shop at where we will find “the garments of salvation” and “the robe of righteousness.”  Spiritually speaking, God Himself is in charge of getting you and I dressed.  He is the one who cares for us.  By His grace we sinners are “clothed with the garments of salvation.”  He is dressing us in the beautiful robe of righteousness, the righteousness secured for us by Christ Himself through His perfect, sinless life and His substitutionary death on the cross. 

When God dresses you up, it is in the clothes of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” strength, and so many more gifts (cf. Galatians 5:22-23).  They are always in the measure that is suited to the tasks and opportunities before you.  The Lord God’s promises are tailor-made for you to wear with great joy.  The Prophet Isaiah says, “greatly rejoice in the Lord” because He has dressed you in clothes fit for a king or queen!

When the Lord has clothed us, we should not be modest.  True, there are those people who brag too much about themselves before God and man.  However, there are too many Christians who do not boast enough.  To put it another way they hide their Christianity under a bushel.  Jesus said, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). 

We have either heard someone say or said it ourselves, “All dressed up, but nowhere to go.”  But those words cannot be describing Christians!  Because all who believe on Him are new creations in Christ.  As children of God, we are ready to parade our new clothes of righteousness, salvation, peace, and life before a world that needs to be fitted in new clothes.  As Christ believers we are ready to parade our new God-given outfits so that others may see our Savior and glorify Him!  

Lord God, we give thanks to You for the many mercies and gifts You showered upon us this past year. You have given life, healed and comforted. You have provided for our spiritual and physical well-being. You take care of us every day. All this You have done, not because of any merit in us, but only out of Your love for us in Jesus, our Savior. Comfort and sustain Your children who suffer from sickness, need or affliction. Amen.

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Cheyenne Wells, CO, 80810-0728

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