Signs of Wear
Many people have two sets of silverware or plates, one for company and special occasions and another for common or everyday uses. I can understand the necessity of such an arrangement. Almost anything that gets used daily begins to lose its luster and eventually shows signs of wear. At that point those worn items get moved from the “set apart” drawer in the buffet to the “common” drawer over by the kitchen sink.
This is such a universal experience that familiar items showing signs of wear, ranging from utensils to clothing, are honored for their commonality by being lovingly designated as “favorite.” I have a couple of “favorite” shirts that started out as brand new, being set apart. But as I wore them more often and began to get familiar with them, they developed snags and signs of wear around the cuffs and collars. Soon they were not nice enough to be worn in public for semi dress-up occasions. The trouble was that I had grown so used to their comfortable feel that I wore them anyway – oblivious to the tattered appearance. Finally my wife and daughter conspired together and, taking matters into their own hands, purchased some new shirts of high quality and urged me to discard the old ones.
Life sort of works the same way. We each start with lots of potential, but soon selfishness raises its ugly head and turns us aside into sin, tattering and fraying our hearts and minds. We become so accustom to this sinful way of life that we keep returning to it, just like wearing a favorite old shirt long after its time. Our life becomes common and mundane (just like everyone else) so we don’t think much about it. That is, until we encounter Jesus and the obvious holiness He lived when He walked among men.
The holiness Jesus walked in was so totally different from the world’s way of doing things that it stood out as uncommon. Because He lived a life that was set apart, He life was like a breath of fresh air blowing through the stagnate selfishness of our hearts. Just as my wife and daughter had done, Jesus – taking matters into His own hands – purchased new life for us and urges us to “wear” that new life rather than remain in sin.
The beauty of holiness, uncommon existence, is what God offers us when He invites us to “put on” the Lord Jesus!
How exciting to be His people,
Pastor David Vanderpool
