A Word from Joni

Clothed in Righteousness

I often wish I could dress myself. I can’t pull on a sweater, button a jacket, or hike up a pair of slacks. This frustrating predicament has at times driven me to God for help. And isn’t it like the Lord to give not only grace but also insight? So I decided to hunt down Scripture passages that refer to clothing. Isaiah 61:10 says, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.” There’s a similar reference in Revelation 19:8. Even in the Garden of Eden, God provided skins to clothe Adam and Eve after the Fall.

Why does the Bible say that God clothes us when it speaks of our righteousness? Then it hit me. Clothing of salvation and robes of righteousness are things we cannot provide for ourselves. God provides the salvation and the righteousness. Yes, we can clothe ourselves with Christ as it says in Galatians 3:27, but it’s God’s righteousness, not ours. Righteousness is something that God does to us and for us. In fact, when we try to impress God by our own acts of righteousness, the Bible doesn’t call them clothes but “filthy rags” (Isa 64:6). Can you imagine putting on a garment which you sewed out of smelly, soiled rags? I now have a whole new perspective on my “robe of righteousness” whenever someone dresses me!

The Lord Jesus Christ is our beautiful clothing: our robe of righteousness, our garment of salvation. Put him on today and delight in all that he sacrificed to clothe you in something so precious, so priceless—his righteousness.

Lord God, help me to put off sin and self-centeredness and anything that detracts from your glory. You are my robe of salvation, and I couldn’t be dressed in a finer garment!

JET

For the next devotional from Joni, see p. 1355.click here 

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