Greetings in Christ,
How many of us like to go shopping for clothes? Many people like to go shopping while there are many people who do not like going shopping. It is one of those things for many it is hard to get into the mindset of shopping for clothes. It creates a feeling of being dragged into something which seems so tedious and boring to look through clothes for that right match to our desire or taste.
For me it is the going through the rack of clothes looking for the right color, pattern, and even proper fit. I would rather do my research and find the clothes I want, go to the store, pick them out, buy them, and get out fast without wasting too much time. For me it is like looking for something that is supposed to pop before your eyes, but the exact opposite happens and I cannot find anything I like.
It would be better for me if the clothes would pop off the rack and do a dance for me giving a better idea of how they look, but instead I must undress and try on the clothes, go look in the mirror, check to see if they make me look fat, and then go take them off to redress again. It is too much work. I guess that is why they dress those mannequins, so you get an idea of how the clothes are supposed to look. How many of those mannequins are your size so you really feel good about the clothes you may want to buy?
When I think about it, I hate the idea the clothes are supposed to make you pop when you enter a room. People are supposed to stop what they are doing and take notice of what you are wearing. You are supposed to keep up with the trends of the times, so you stay in fashion. The clothes are supposed to help make the person, but I have a hard time with the idea the clothes make the person. I think most people have it turned around. It is the person who makes the clothes.
When you think about it, clothes are lifeless without the human being filling the form of the clothes. It is not until the person puts on the clothes the clothes really begin to take shape. Until the clothes are filled, they are flat, hang limp on a hanger, folded up laying on a shelf, and really have no basic form to them at all. It is not until the human form fills the clothes it begins to take shape and become what it should be in the designer’s mind. Clothes are lifeless without the human being filling them.
John writes to the people telling them to be careful of those who have strayed from the truth and are making false statements regarding the coming of Jesus. They who have strayed are making claims they know when Jesus will return and often made claims, they were Jesus. John is telling the people those who make false claims are not filled with the Spirit of God. They are basically lifeless, and they are being a bad influence to those who know the truth trying to get them to waiver in their knowledge of the truth.
John is trying to tell them they are filled with the Holy Spirit who gives them life. They take of the shape of the Holy Spirit giving them fulfillment of which they should be as a person. It is the Holy Spirit which gives them the form to live a life free from the corrupt worldly ideas and notions, and they need to continue to allow the Holy Spirit to fill them with His presence. They are alive with the Spirit of God living in them giving them the form the designer had in mind.
In Exodus, God is giving Moses instructions on how to design and make the robes/garments Aaron and the high priests were to wear while serving in the temple. They were to be of a specific design, and they were to have bells, pomegranates, and a breast plate made of gold, with many other distinguishing features to make them to be able to go before God in the inner holy of holies. This was to help keep them safe as they stood before God, but the clothing was helpless for the priests if they were not holy and righteous in their living. The clothes were to aid the priests, but it did not give them total protection if they did not live their lives according to the laws God had given them. They had to be spirit filled to fulfill what the designer had in mind.
Shopping for clothes remains a joy for some and a drag for others; they are needed to help protect the body from the harsh elements of this world. Yes, it is nice to wear the latest fashion and to look nice as we walk this earth, but they do not make the person. The person makes the clothes. Without the person wearing the clothes the clothes are lifeless and have no form remaining stagnant. A person must fill the clothes with their form before the clothes take shape.
It is the same with our bodies. Until we are filled with the presence of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with His presence, we are stagnant and lifeless. We may look good to others, but we lack the full potential of living life here on earth as the designer had in mind. When we are not spirit filled and living righteous lives for Jesus, we are like clothes hanging on a hanger in the store; we look good, but we lack the form the shape which was intended by the designer for us to have. The presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit make us who we should be giving us the protection we need from the harsh world in which we live. It is the transformation from the inside out which makes us pop for others to take notice making them want to have what we have—Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
“O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:1-8
Lord God fill us with Your presence so we take on the form You intended for us to have. May we be the examples for others to see so they desire to be filled with You. Amen
Blessings,