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The New Suit

By May 5, 2013August 30th, 2022Devotional

It was a special day. Because today, Janet and I took our oldest grandson, Connor, to pick out his first suit. For some reason, I always get to play in a part in these events that have to do with “firsts.” I remember when Kristin and Jill attended their proms and we took them shopping down in Ft. Lauderdale for their dresses and accessories. Well, today it was Connor’s turn. Nope – he’s not old enough for a prom – he’s only 11, but in several weeks he graduates from 5th grade and that is a big deal in the scheme of things for him.

In a way, I have to give him some credit here. When most of the kids want to wear tee shirts and shorts, or “gym” shoes and very casual clothes, Connor wants to get dressed up for the occasion and I admire that. Connor has a sense of timing and what is right for the event. Maybe it has something to do with his mother, our oldest daughter, Kristin. She always had a perfect sense of fashion and timing as she was growing up as well.

I remember when she would get dressed up for the school dances and everything had to be perfect. In fact, our daughter Jill was very much the same way. Maybe it’s in the genes. After all, when I was young, I actually sold clothes in a store for boys and men. It’s funny how you never forget that kind of thing – even today, all that training came back into play when I was helping Connor pick up the right clothes for his graduation. And I really enjoyed it.

What made the event even more pleasurable was the fact that we had a great young man helping us. He was a high school guy and I wasn’t expecting too much from him. Boy was I wrong. He was terrific. He worked with us more than 90 minutes getting everything we needed – from the suit to the shoes, and everything in between – he was quite helpful. In fact, I had a chance to speak to the store manager and was able to tell her how much I appreciated his help. The truth of the matter is that he really made this a memorable even for us. And Connor couldn’t have been more pleased. He really identified with the store clerk and it made the event even more special for him.

Many of us think that this is way that we are supposed to approach God – dressed up in our finest attire. There are numerous verses that, if interpreted in a certain way, can lead us to believe that God expects us to be dressed up in our finery to enter into relationship with Him. But that’s not the real meaning of the Scripture. Rather, we are to prepare our hearts for communion with God. It has nothing to do with the cost of our clothes or the way that we wear our jewelry. Nope – a relationship with God is based on the condition of your heart… A pure heart, with an attitude of submission and worship is what God wants from us. The young man who helped us today at the store was a great example. He was humble, and certainly emulated the traits that I believe God wants from us.

Regardless of how we dress, we can’t even begin to love God as much as God loves us. The verse for this evening highlights the splendor of God’s creation relative to the way we dress. From Luke 12:27, we are told, “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” And that’s something we should always remember. God has created a magnificent world for our benefit and it is all natural. The wonder of it all is almost too much for us to even imagine.

My encouragement this evening is that God wants you to appreciate the splendor of His work and to “dress” the part when you approach Him. My prayer is that your heart is in the right place and that you will do everything you can to make sure that God sees your attitude and your willingness to serve Him. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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