Putting On Christ and Keeping Him On
All Saints Day gives us an opportunity to reflect about who we are and how others see us.
On Halloween, or as I like to refer to it, “Holy Eve”, I watched the young and not so young trick or treat. Their costumes varied but everyone tried to take on the persona of the character they wanted to be perceived as. It was nostalgic for me and gave me food for thought if you will.
I remembered a family in Jenkintown, PA, the Pat and Wendy Stanton family coming into the house dressed in different saint costumes. They gave a little “lesson” on their particular saint. We always looked forward to that. Scripture tells us when we “put on Christ” we become a new creation.
Let us show our family, friends, and everyone we come in contact with, that we have put on Christ and don’t intend to take him off; but grow more perfectly into His likeness and image for the world to see. Let us take on His persona and give the world a real treat as we decrease and allow Jesus to increase within us. Let us not trick those around us by calling ourselves Christians and acting contrary to how an authentic Christian should act.
Although it is a daily struggle, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, He will remind us of everything Jesus said and did and enable us to yield to grace at work in us and give the world a authentic treat. After all, His working in us and through us for His good pleasure will bring us an eternal blessing as we cast off the old body.
Yes, in the twinkling of an eye, our lives are changed but not ended. We become those “Holy Souls” we honor and pray for. We too know that they are praying to our Heavenly Father for those left behind until our work on earth is finished and we too will see them again in our eternal home. As we run the good race and fight the good fight, we are surrounded by that cloud of witnesses cheering us on until the day we join the saints in heaven praising God for all eternity.