This is my first experience with a slip cover and if you've never had one before let me share with you some of the pros and cons. The first benefit is that you can give your couch an updated look without having to drop big bucks to either re-upholster or buy new. Two drawbacks that I have found are that slip covers are designed to go over a range of couch sizes so it won't fit exactly, which means if you look carefully you can tell that it's a slip cover. Also, whenever someone sits on the couch, the cover moves a bit and then needs to be re-tucked. Those things aside, I'm so thrilled to have the flower garden buried!
This morning as I was laying on my "new" couch and thinking about the slip cover the Lord spoke to my heart about 'Slipcover Christians'. I thought, what the heck is that!? And as I started thinking about my slipcover it all made sense.
How many of us try to cover up and look good when we're at church or around certain people? Trying to cover our flaws and hide our imperfections. Attempting to be someone we're not the other six days and 22 hours a week. Raising our hands and worshiping God when just 12 hours earlier we were at the bar with all our "buds" from work. Or teaching a Sunday school class while earlier in the week we were flirting with a married co-worker. Or voicing our amens during the sermon when we are harboring anger and unforgiveness toward a friend.
We've all done it at some point or another, it's human nature to try and fit it, to make yourself more than you are, and that's just the point; that's human nature and we need God nature. The more like Jesus we become, the less like us we become and that's a good thing. The only way we become more like Him is to spend time with Him.
God doesn't want us walking around squirming in our own skin, trying to tuck away and cover up our flaws and imperfections. He wants to change us, make us new creations in Him, wash away our sins, renew our minds, cleanse our hearts, He wants us to be authentic children of God. No duplicates, no clones, no knock-off imitations, just the best version of us that He desires us to be.
When we live our lives outside of the church walls as card carrying members of the worldly Christian club and then try to be good and fit in with the other church goers on Sunday we are completely ineffective for Christ and we are living a lie. The Word says in Revelation 3:16,
"So, because you are neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
It's time to evaluate your own life, are you trying to be a slip cover Christian and "cover-up" thoughts and behaviors that are sinful and worldly? Or are you the real deal? Would you be mortified if your pastor knew how you behaved during the week or would it line up with how you behave on Sunday?
Let's take the slip covers off and be our true selves, flaws and all, and let's go to Jesus, the Master re-upholsterer and allow Him to make real, lasting changes in our lives. We will never regret it.
"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." Colossians 3:5-10
Amen!
ReplyDeleteGood word..