“He has covered me with the robe of righteousness...” (Isaiah 61:10 ESV)
This Christmas, I got a new robe. It is dark gray and heavy. My old, red robe is softer and more comfortable. I keep both of them on hooks behind my bedroom door. The old robe has been designated as my dog robe--I wear it when I feed, brush, or play with my dog. Afterwards, I use a lint roller to try to get most of the dog hair off this robe, but there is always some fur left on it. Once the dog care is done, I hang up my old robe and put on my new one. Even though my old robe is comfier, I am glad to change into a clean robe free of dog hair.
“You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self gets worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil they want to do. You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 ERV)
The Lord has covered me with a new robe of righteousness. However, I’m not ready to renounce my old robe of worldliness. It is familiar and comfortable. I like to keep it around for messy situations. I try to clean it up and make it presentable, but my weaknesses have become entrenched in the fabric of my old self. The only way to be clean is to take off the old and put on the new. The robe of righteousness feels hefty and unfamiliar. The virtuous life is not easy. It requires changes in attitude, perspective, and behavior. Yet, I know this new self is what I am meant to be--clean, good, and pleasing to God.
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