Dressed in righteousness

As I was posting a picture to my instagram and writing the words to put with her, I looked up scripture to include and my google words were "clothed with righteousness, confidence"  many scriptures popped up but then my eyes landed on an article that had  been highlighted in a blog by  Joni and friends   http://www.joniandfriends.org/radio/5-minute/clothed-righteousness/   and my mind stayed there on her page for a good while. For Joni, clothing herself in the mornings is something she just cannot do. But listen to her biblical appreciation for her inability to dress up …"I don’t need to list all the things my quadriplegia prevents me from doing – and, for the most part I’m okay with that. But that one thing that I really wish I could do is, dress myself. I can’t pull on a sweater or a coat, button a jacket. I can’t pull up my slacks or my nylons, slip into a skirt or hop into shorts. Sometimes when a friend is trying to put on my sweater, my fingers get stuck in the sleeve or I lose my balance and start to fall over. It can be a little frustrating at times. No, I can’t clothe myself. I wish I could do it for myself because it is, after all, a rather private thing, rather personal. And so, in the past, I have always looked at it as a problem, but thankfully, this “problem” has always driven me to God for help. But isn’t it just like the Lord Jesus to give not only grace when we need it, but help and insight.Because the other evening—now get this—I was reading in Revelation how one day we will be “clothed in righteousness.” I was intrigued by that word “clothed.” So I did a quick word search and found myself in Galatians chapter 3, verse 27 where it says:

“You who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).And that got me really going. I looked up more references and I found Isaiah chapter 61 where it says:

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61).

And then it hit me: Garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. This is something we absolutely cannot provide for ourselves. God provides the salvation and the righteousness; oh, yes, we can clothe ourselves with Christ as it says in Galatians, but it’s His righteousness, not ours. And so, righteousness is something, which God does to us and for us. There is nothing in ourselves we just cannot get ourselves dressed, so to speak, in righteousness. And if we did, it says that our righteousness would be as filthy rags—can you imagine what you’d look like if you had to dress yourself in that? I mean, just picture a garment, a robe made out of your own filthy rags. Yuk!Suddenly! Oh my goodness, I gained a whole new appreciation for not being able to get myself dressed. Someone else has to do that for me. That very personal and private function is performed by God himself. Well, you can imagine how blessed I was by that simple, sweet insight. Praise God, I cannot get myself dressed in robes of righteousness. Hallelujah, I am so happy I cannot dress myself in garments of righteousness. And, friend, you can’t get yourself dressed either, someone else has to do that for you. And a Someone with a capital ‘S’ has graciously and mercifully done that for you. The Lord Jesus Christ is your garment of praise, and when you put on Him, you put on His righteousness. And you know what? You couldn’t be decked out in a better pair of clothes."

Wow... my mind was rethinking what I was originally looking for and it literally took on a whole new meaning for me, for my painting that I was writing about. It doesn`t matter about what we physically wear, nothing matters if..... we are not clothed in His righteousness.... then we have the confidence to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are HIS....

 Here she is.... the one who started all of my digging, she is titled, "Confidence."..Her story goes like this..She opened the blinds in her room as she got up to face another day. It was dark and dreary and foggy. It would have been a good day to sleep just a little longer but there was no time for that today. She had much to do and her mind was spinning trying to get it all in. She glanced down on her wrist at the black band she was wearing and the words she saw, jumped out at her, "PRAY FIRST". The day could wait. She quietly found her spot in her favorite chair and slowly sat down already enjoying that moment. She lifted all of her concerns, her prayer requests and worries up to HIM. That "alone" time with Him,was her gift, that she was to embrace. .  Her heart was content at that moment, abiding in Him, resting in His word. She prayed for opportunities to share Him that day. She prayed that she wouldn`t be so wrapped up in her own life, that she would miss them . She prayed that her eyes and ears would be alert to notice people He brought her way to encourage. She slowly got up with a new confidence that she could do it. She could face the new day, whatever lay ahead. the sun was now peeking out from the darkness and it was relecting the most beautiful art in the sky. His handiwork. The day ahead didn`t look quite as dark and not nearly as dreary now.She could feel His presence. She knew He would follow each step she made. She looked in her closet and "wear" her joy. She was clothed in righteousness and confidence and ready to face the world. "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive MERCY and find GRACE to help in time of need. " Hebrews 4:16Have a wonderful new week.Happy to be linked with Sunday Sketches here http://alexandramacvean.blogspot.com/Love, Jane