Are you wearing Jesus clothes?

Recently, I heard someone describe the attire of different world religious systems. I had never thought about how the adherents of the various belief systems could often be recognized by their attire. For instance a Buddhist Monk, a Muslim, a practicing Jew, a Sikh, a Hare Krishna or a Hindu would be fairly recognizable by their unique dress.

A Buddhist Monk is known by a shaved head and a colored robe. A Muslim woman is recognized by a ‘burqa’ or other sort of covering. A practicing Jew might be recognized by the traditional ‘skull cap' called a ‘kippa.’ A Sikh could be recognized by their traditional headdress. A devotee of the Hare Krishna life could be recognized by their ‘dhotis’ or robe. A Hindu can often be recognized by the spot on their forehead known as a ‘bindi.’

Followers of Jesus don't have a traditional dress code or recognizable clothing. This doesn't mean though that followers of Jesus can wear anything they want. The Scriptures do speak of clothes that a follower is expected to wear.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words:

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14 NLT)

The clothing that a follower of Jesus is to put on, DAILY, is: tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

What would life look like - if every Jesus follower walked around their house in those clothes, if every student who is a follower of Jesus would wear those clothes to school every day, if everyday interactions were colored by these clothes and if every follower of Jesus would wear these clothes when they went to work each day?

Marriages would be different, families would be different, work places would be different, schools would be different and whole communities would be different. It might just be that the nation, and even eventually the world, would be different if each Jesus follower put on Jesus clothes.

Jesus clothes? Tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

Are you wearing your Jesus clothes today?