What Are You Wearing?

November 30, 2020 By Jones LaRonda 2 Comments

“Did you hear that? The sound of thousands of feet passing nearby just outside the city gates. What is that?” These are a few of the questions I imagine Blind Bartimaeus asking as he felt the dust on the road swiftly being moved aside by the feet of the multitude. Could this be Him? Jesus, the one I had heard of before? I can see Blind Bartimaeus, filled with hope, slowly drawing closer toward the large crowd and asking, “What is happening?” After hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, Blind Bartimaeus cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47)” Then many from the crowd yelled at him telling him to be quiet. But don’t they know this is Jesus? Don’t they know this is the promised Messiah? He is able to heal me? This is my only chance. I must cry out louder! “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Unsure of whether Jesus had heard his cry or not, I can see Bartimaeus getting desperate. But then shortly afterwards, some people from the crowd tell him, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you! (Mark 10:49)” Jesus is calling for me! Well, I won’t be needing this old thing! So,

throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you? The blind man said to Him “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
(Mark 10:50-52)

As I was studying the Bible recently, I couldn’t help but to notice multiple references to the garment or type of clothing that characters wore throughout the Bible. From linen and purple to sackcloth and ashes, I realized that people didn’t put on certain types of clothes just to “wear” them. The garments one wore seemed to give insight into the condition of the person. The clothes had meaning. They told a story.

So here, in the story of Blind Bartimaeus, we can see that the clothes he wore while he was blind give us insight into his condition. Throughout the Bible, we can see that it was common for beggars to wear a certain type of clothing. Given the condition of Bartimaeus, he was unable to work jobs that required physical labor so he became a beggar. But Jesus heard his cry and we can see that Blind Bartimaeus was healed! As we further examine this story, notice that Bartimaeus “threw aside his garment” in the process of rising and coming to Jesus. It appears as though Bartimaeus displayed faith by the very act of throwing aside his garment as he went to see Jesus. He believed he would no longer have need of the clothes which signified that he was a beggar. So, by faith, he cast those garments aside. I can see Bartimaeus saying, “Healed people don’t wear beggars clothing. I believe that I receive.” So, Bartimaeus threw aside his garment and received his sight! We can even see faith displayed in the words that Bartimaeus spoke and his attitude. He was persistent in asking Jesus to have mercy on him. Even when many from the crowd told him to be quiet, he cried out louder. He didn’t let other people stop him from receiving. Faith is a firm persuasion…to be fully convinced. Bartimaeus had faith that Jesus was able to restore his sight so he didn’t give up in his pursuit. He was persistent and maintained an attitude of faith! I love it!!

In the Bible, we can see that priests, lepers, widows, mourners, and more each had certain types of clothing that indicated their status. You knew the condition or status of a person simply by observing the type of garments they were wearing. As I studied the story of Bartimaeus, I was reminded of Jesus “rising from supper, laying aside His garment, and wrapping a towel around his waist” in John 13:4 right before he began to wash the disciples feet. Jesus took on the form of a servant. This was a visual display of the new commandment Jesus gave to love one another unconditionally. It was an example He gave us to follow. Also, in Isaiah 61:3, we can see that God gave us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” That’s good news!!

There are many items throughout the Word that we are told to put on or take off. God really cares about the clothing we are wearing 🙂 We are told to…

put on “the whole armor of God” (Ephesian 6)
put on “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering…and love” (Colossians 3:12-14)
be “clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5)
“put off our old self” (Ephesians 4:22)
“lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1)
put off “anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and filthy language” (Colossians 3:8)

Now that I think of it, the way we dress could give insight into our condition…insight into our status. Redeemed…Delivered….Loved…Healed…Righteous….A Child of God! Are you choosing to put on love? What about kindness or humility? Our decision of what we chose to wear as we go throughout life can determine whether people see God in us or not. That’s huge! It looks like The Word of God is a great personal stylist for help deciding what to wear and what not to wear 🙂 Who knew God was so interested in clothing! Psalms 104:1-2 even tells us that God Himself is “clothed with honor and majesty…covered with light as with a garment.” So beautiful!! I encourage you to pause, reflect and honestly ask yourself the question, “(Insert Your Name Here), What Are You Wearing?”

Whoa Baby, Look How Much You’ve Grown

August 20, 2020 By LaTosha Alexander 4 Comments

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…A time to plant and a time to harvest (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

Have you ever considered how much plants and your life have in common? Last year I received a unique birthday gift from my husband. It was a blue pot that had soil in it. My husband told me that bulbs of my favorite flower had been planted in the soil and would grow over time. For an individual who knew very little about properly caring for a plant, I was excited yet skeptical about how successful this process would be.

I remember taking trips to the porch frequently to water the plant. Other days when water wasn’t needed, I would go outside just to see if there was any progress in the growth process. Personally, the hardest part for me was waiting patiently and watching for some sign of hope to show itself above the soil. Days passed, weeks passed, and even a couple of months passed; however, my plant successfully grew. I was so excited and would often say, “Whoa baby, look how much you’ve grown.”

This summer my attempts with planting did not go as well as last year. It’s ok, I’m still learning. I’ll just try again next year. Although my pursuit of growing plants this year was unsuccessful, I still learned some valuable life lessons through planting.

One sunny day I remember staring out the window at my pots with freshly planted seeds. I was so grateful for the sun because it had been overcast and raining every day for almost a week. My plants, that had yet to sprout, could finally get all the food and nurture they needed. Again, came the process of waiting patiently for a sign of hope. I frequently wondered if anything was happening beneath the soil, but of course, I knew the answer would be revealed in time. During that very moment God reminded me that just because I couldn’t see below the soil, it didn’t mean nothing was happening. He also pointed out to me that all plants don’t grow at the same rate. Some plants need more time and nurture to fully grow and develop. Either way, it takes faith and hope to believe that change is occurring even when I can’t see it.

This moment wasn’t just about a plant, it was about life. I reflected on seeds in my own life that I had recently worked so hard to plant; praying and hoping that one day I would see the results of my labor. Despite all of my hard work, many days I felt like nothing was happening and wondered if it was all in vain. It’s amazing how with time and patience, some of the seeds that I felt were growing the least were in the process of manifesting the whole time.

My reflective question to you today: What seeds in your life are you tired of waiting on to fully develop? What seeds in the soil of your life do you need to look at and say, “Be patient, give it a little more time?” Have you been anxiously waiting to see the results of a seed planted in your life called faith, authenticity, patience, timeliness, consistency, self-awareness, courage, health, balance, etc.? You may not be able to see every seed in your life quickly grow and manifest right before your eyes; honestly sometimes you may not notice any change at all. During those moments remember that just because you can’t always see below the soil it doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. When you least expect it, you will realize your hard work was not in vain, and just like my planting season last year, you will surprisingly and gratefully look at yourself in the mirror with a smile and say, “Whoa baby, look how much you’ve grown.”

Do It

December 1, 2015 By Jones LaRonda Leave a Comment

It’s interesting to me how much information we receive on a daily basis. There are so many how to videos, articles, and books out nowadays that you can pretty much gain access to anything you want to learn with the snap of a finger. The abundance of information on many topics is limitless. As I was researching something on the internet one day, I ran across a concept called “The Cone of Learning” by Edgar Dale that caught my attention. In a nutshell, the idea behind the concept is that we retain less of what we read, hear, or see; and more of what we say, do, or teach. As I was reviewing the diagram associated with this concept, I immediately thought about how it not only applies to learning in general but it also applies to spiritual maturity as a Christian as well. On average, a typical Christian attends church every Sunday or so to hear a word from the preacher. But is this enough?

The Bible tells us in James 1:22 that “we must not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive ourselves. Do what it says.” Going to church is good because the Word tells us that we should not neglect our meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). Church is also a place that can aid us in growing in our faith. Romans 10:17 tells us that “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” So going to church is good! Though church should not be the only place we are spiritually fed because we should also “study to shew thyself approved unto God.” (2 Timothy 2:15a). According to the “Cone of Learning” diagram, we retain the least amount of information, estimated to be under 10%, that is received in lectures (which seems to be the teaching style of most preachers). Yes, that’s right…under 10%. Imagine how dangerous it would be if someone only knew 10% of the information associated with driving. If they knew how to press the button on the key fob to open the car but had no idea how to start the car, reverse it, park it, or use any other features in the car, yet alone drive it! Not to mention that the car has an operator’s manual in the glove compartment yet they never bothered to read it. This is analogous to our life as Christians. God has given us everything we need for life similar to how most cars come with an operator’s manual. You can sit and hear lectures about a Ferrari or read all the books you want, but until you drive one or teach someone else how to drive one you won’t get the full experience. In like manner, going to church and just hearing a good sermon from a preacher or merely just reading the Word isn’t enough. We have to put it into action and do what it says. As we mature in Christ, there should be an increase of saying, doing, and teaching God’s Word. I think of Hebrews 5:12-14 where Paul says,

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Can you imagine putting time and effort into teaching someone something to then only have to go back later and teach the exact same thing? Someone of you have done this and know the frustration associated with this. We as Christians should never be content with being stagnant in our spiritual walk. We should continue growing and striving to be as much like Christ as possible. It’s interesting that many times we’ll hear someone say that a person is strong in their faith if they are fluent in the Word but spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how much of the Word you know. Geez…the devil himself knows the Word. Don’t believe me? Check out Matthew 4. But it is obedience to the Word of God that is a measure of spiritual maturity. If we look at Matthew 4 we can learn from Jesus dealing with temptation from the devil in the wilderness. Each time Jesus was tempted by the devil, He responded with a scripture. Jesus not only knew the Word though, He acted in obedience to it and He knew how to rightfully apply it. He wasn’t easily deceived. I want to encourage you to continue to be in environments to see, hear, and read The Word of God. But not only that. Let’s go beyond that and actually do and even teach what it says. This is what is pleasing to Our Heavenly Father! I triple dog dare you to DO IT!