PUT ON OR PUTTING ON I

Paul, an apostle, wrote: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14). This is an interesting verse to me because of the instructive steps that lead up to ‘putting on Christ.’ It is like wake up, get up, stop messing around, pay attention and get dressed…time is short.

Paul put it this way: Romans 13:11-13:
“Do this, knowing the time,
that it is already the hour
for you to awaken from sleep;
for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.
The night is almost gone,
and the day is near.
Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness
and put on the armor of light. 
Let us behave properly as in the day, 
not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Notice: the time, hour, awaken, sleep, nearer, night is gone, day is near, darkness, light, as in the day… ‘put on Christ’ and ‘the armor of light.’ Time to get up and get after it.

(This whole entry reminds me of my dad trying to get my brothers and me up to go to work when we were kids. He came in our room singing: ‘What do you know…it’s morning already…’ That was the call to get up, get dressed and get going.)

“I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” Jesus