Day 6 – Sunday, April 6th, 2016
When I hear the phrase “clothed in ___,” my mind automatically hears “righteousness.” I think that is because it is a phrase I have read in several places in the Word:
Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness (right living),
And let Your godly ones shout for joy.
-Psalm 132:9 (AMP)I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has covered me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom puts on a turban,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
-Isaiah 61:10 (AMP)For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor,
And salvation like a helmet on His head;
He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.
-Isaiah 59:17 (AMP)
There are several ways to consider righteousness. One way is civil righteousness, a way to “live rightly” that governs our family or social group or class. Another is from an ethical standpoint that often is gauged by the Ten Commandments or the law of God. But ultimately the only righteousness that brings life, joy and peace is the one which requires nothing of us. Well, almost nothing.
Above others, which the Apostle Paul calls “the righteousness of faith”—Christian righteousness…God imputes it to us apart from our works—in other words, it is passive righteousness, as the others are active. For we do nothing for it, and we give nothing for it—we only receive and allow another to work—that is God.
Martin Luther’s Preface to Galatians (Abridgment/Paraphrase by T. Keller)
The joy for me in this revelation is that I need do nothing here, except accept Christ’s righteousness as my own with a grateful heart. Having this righteousness means I don’t need to strive to perform as with the other kinds of righteousness. Instead, I can rest. Rest. What a great idea. The only thing which remains for me to do is discern how I can remain in that rest in every situation I encounter every day. How I apply that rest to my days is my own personal art form in many ways. It can be simple or creative but always unique to me.
But this is not a feat easily accomplished. I am by nature a striver, a perfectionist, a doer—all full well knowing that I’m supposed to be a human “being,” not a human “doing.” I have to laugh though because resting is by definition something you do. It’s not something that happens naturally, except in the Garden of Eden. Rest is about as physical as being clothed in righteousness. Your mind, will and emotions have to find rest in some manner, regardless of what your body is doing. In every scripture above referencing righteousness, there is also mention of joy, exultation and zeal. To be thus clothed begs for a suitable format for such results. That is why rest is so unique to every individual. My rest is in doing something creative that expresses my gratitude and love for the Lord, such as writing, singing, worshiping, scrapbooking or making a gift for someone in whatever form it takes.
What does true rest look like in your life? Where do you find your greatest joy? …Selah…
The Art of Choosing True Life 