March 10, 2020
Dress in White
Lisa Morrone, PT
Today’s Truth
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14, NIV)
Friend to Friend
Growing up, my family was, shall we say, “fiscally challenged.” Nearly all our clothes were purchased from the local thrift stores—with two exceptions: our Easter and Christmas Day outfits. As a child I remember being so excited when those two shopping days would come. My mother, aunt, brothers and I would walk from our house to the town bus stop, deposit a few small coins into the meter when the bus arrived, and off we would ride up to the shopping center!
One Easter outfit I chose stands out above them all: a crisp white, linen-type pantsuit. I had very dark hair (styled at the time with Farrah Fawcett “wings”) and my 13-year-old-self thought I looked AMAZING in it, given the sharp color contrast!
The thing I hadn’t thought of was how difficult it was going to be, for a tomboy like myself, to keep that white suit clean through the entirety of a day which—being half Sicilian—was going to include red pasta sauce at some point.
Let me tell you, I had to proceed WITH CAUTION throughout that Easter Sunday! I watched where I sat, how I sat, paid attention to what might brush up against me, and draped my white-suited-self in a big apron when it came time to “Mangia.”
I once heard a speaker use an analogy about a white suit which has always stuck with me. He suggested that we as Christians should begin each day with the image of our redeemed selves dressed in a white suit—which represents Christ’s sacrifice cleansing our sins pure white. He said that if we thought even small sins throughout the day as potentially soiling that suit, we would be extra cautious as to what we “brushed up against.” This word picture immediately brought to mind my childhood Easter suit!
Before Christ came to earth to become our “stain remover,” people’s sin had to be covered with the sprinkled blood of animal sacrifices. In Hebrews 9:18-19 we are told:
“This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.”
All that splatter could really stain a white robe! But after Christ offered up his perfect body on the altar of the cross, there was no longer ANY sacrifice needed for sin. In Hebrews 10:22 we are told that instead of our clothes being sprinkled, our hearts have been sprinkled. Now, girlfriends, we are free to dress in WHITE!
If I could expound a bit on Today’s Truth, Hebrews 10:14, it would read as such:
“For by one sacrifice he (Jesus Christ) has made perfect forever (Justification) those who are being made holy (Sanctification).”
Justification (the donning of a white suit) happens instantaneously when you accept Jesus Christ as your sin-atoning Savior. Sanctification is the process by which we strive towards living holy lives. This is why the apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:12,
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
You and I miss the mark of holy—and we will from time to time, but, if we promptly send that white suit off to the drycleaners by way of prayerful confession and repentance, we can be back to wearing white in no time!
Let’s Pray
Lord, thank You for cleansing, once and for all, my sin-stained soul. May I be ever so careful not to brush up against sin and defile myself.
In the powerful Name of Jesus,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Think of the sin(s) you most frequently give yourself a pass on. Determine a new path to walk to avoid soiling yourself in those areas so that you can pursue holiness with less messy detours.
More from the Girlfriends
Get Healthy for Heaven’s Sake (Harvest House Publishers) is one of Lisa’s six books in her Restoring Your Temple® health resource collection. Her books are available on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or wherever books are sold.
Lisa Morrone, PT is a physical therapist, professor, author of six books, radio guest and event speaker who encourages people to “Get Healthy for Heaven’s Sake.” Visit Lisa’s website for more information and to sign up to receive her informative “Monday Morning Health Tips”!
