I am following a study of the book of Proverbs and today we were reading Proverbs 4:5-9. And I got some really great revelations from what Linda was saying.
She was talking about Solomon trying to get his Sons so seek wisdom.
Proverbs 3:21-22 My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion; 22 So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck.
In Proverbs 4:9 She (Wisdom) will place a lovely wreath on your head; she (wisdom) will present you with a beautiful crown.” Emphasis Mine
What came to me when I was reading today as she made the reference to the adornment of the ornament of grace around our neck, then the crown of glory was this.
In Matthew 6:28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Then in Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
What God was showing me this morning is that we are always concerned with our fleshly welfare. That the clothing that we think of in Matthew 6 is of cloth but there is a much more important clothing that He wants us to have. Our flesh on this earth is so temporal. In Isaiah God tells us: Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
Clothing is a form of protection. Our Spirit will live for eternity (if we accept Jesus as our Savior - Romans 10:9-10) and the clothing that God is equipping us with is clothing that will protect and equip us in eternal life. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Wisdom, Faith, Salvation, Sword of the Spirit. God wants us to have heaven on Earth, and this type of clothing prepares, equips and protects us. Protects our spirit.
Again Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
God wants to Clothe me in a much bigger/greater way. He wants to clothe, adorn, equip me/us with what will protect us. We think of cloth clothing as a protective layer to our physical skin, God is looking to clothe and protect our spiritual skin.
Thank you for reading!
Blessings,Lynn