Dirty Clothes

I don't know how you feel about dirty clothes but I hate them.  I love the smell of fresh laundry.  The warmth of things right out of the dryer.  I love good fabric softener.  Downey is my favorite.  I also love to hang clothes outside.  I always loved seeing them flap in the breeze.  There is just something about laying your head down at night after a long, tough day and smell that one of a kind smell of sheets dried on the line.  Wonderful.  Clean.  Pure.  So guess what??  I am wearing dirty clothes.  Old, worn out, comfortable, dingy, dirty rags.  I have had them for years.  Years.

Colossians 3:9 tells me to put off the old self and to put on the new self.  In fact the whole third chapter deals with this issue.  I am to put off and put to death the earthly things in me.  Some of the topics may not apply but some of them do.  Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.  I am to put away (for good) anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from my mouth.  My new self is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  Renewed.....what a lovely word.  I get to make myself new again each day.  Putting something on each day implies that I am taking it off.  There comes the renewing part.  God must make me new over and over and over.  He reminds us through His word to do that very thing.  Anger got you???  Take that filthy rag off and burn it.  Got some wrathful thoughts going??  Think on what is noble.  Struggle with obscene talk?  Think on what is lovely and pure.  This world is so full of filth.  And we laugh at it.  I am just so grateful and so thankful that my God renews me and pours his never-ending grace all over me to help me stop wearing icky clothes.  My new self is chosen and holy and beloved according to Colossians 3:12.  It has a compassionate heart, it is kind, humble, is meek and patient.  Tough stuff.  We had our monthly ladies meeting at church last night and this was our lesson.  All of us said we struggle with some of these issues.  I am sure that many were left unspoken but God knows them.  Our secret struggles.  He wants them killed too. But we must put these things to death.  Verse five tells us that very plainly.  Put to death what is earthly in you.....  That is a hard, hard task.  We (I) like earthly stuff.  It makes us popular.  It makes us fit in.  Everyone else is doing that, watching that, going there, reading that .... you fill in the blanks.  We are to put it to death.  This scripture is talking to believers here.....gulp!!  Verse six tells me on account of this the wrath of God is coming.  It is....for me....for us.  I have prayed all day for God to remind me when I start to slip on my comfy, dirty old rags.  He did.  God is good and dependable like that.  Ask Him yourself....He will.  These are old clothes that I don't get to wash and dry or even hang out on the line.  I get to burn these rags.  And I do love a good fire!