God's Glory Church

“So let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” — Romans 13:12

I was so excited when I first put on my new glasses, but after a few hours I wanted to throw them away. My eyes were watering and my head was throbbing. The ears hurt from the uncomfortable frame. The next day I groaned when I remembered that I had to wear them. I had to decide several times a day whether to use glasses, so that my body would adapt to them. This process lasted several weeks, but after that I hardly noticed that I was wearing them.

Wearing something new takes some getting used to, but over time we get used to it and feel better. We can even see things we have not seen before. In the Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul instructed the followers of Christ: “Let us put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12). They had already believed in Jesus, but they seemed to have fallen into a “slumber” and calmed down. Instead, they had to “wake up” and start acting, behave decently and reject any sin (vv. 11-12). Paul encouraged them to put on Jesus and be like him in thought and deed (v. 14).

We do not begin to reflect the loving, gentle, kind, grace-filled and faithful ways of Jesus overnight. It is a long process of daily choosing to “put on the armor of light”, even if we don’t want to, because it’s inconvenient. However, over time, God changes us for the better.

What does “clothing” look like in Jesus? How does Christ-likeness become more comfortable over time?

Lord Jesus, thank you for changing me every day.

Author: Karen Pimpo