{"id":2516,"date":"2020-11-20T11:36:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T19:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2516"},"modified":"2020-11-20T11:36:55","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T19:36:55","slug":"devotion-romans-1422-23-what-are-you-wearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2516","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Romans 14:22-23 What Are You Wearing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romans 14:22-23\u00a0<\/b>\u201cThe faith which you have, have\u00a0as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who\u00a0does not condemn himself in what he approves.<\/span>\u00a023\u00a0But\u00a0the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because\u00a0his eating is\u00a0not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Many moons ago I was standing in a circle with some great Brothers.\u00a0\u00a0The pastor was one of them.\u00a0\u00a0They were all looking terrific in some great suits.\u00a0\u00a0It was just after the Sunday morning service.\u00a0\u00a0The topic switched to how they wear their suits because they want to wear their best for God.\u00a0\u00a0All of them agreed.\u00a0\u00a0All these brothers (whom I still dearly love and respect) then focused their attention to what I thought about the subject.\u00a0\u00a0I kind of felt that, with their best attentions, I was set up.\u00a0\u00a0They were doing a type of intervention (Ha!\u00a0\u00a0I love them bless their souls.)\u00a0\u00a0You see I did not wear suits.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, I didn\u2019t own a suit.\u00a0\u00a0It was not a matter of sartorial preference (though I am most comfortable in casual attire) but a matter of finances.\u00a0\u00a0Plainly said, I could not afford a suit.<\/p>\n

When asked what I thought, I replied \u201cLet me first ask a question.\u00a0\u00a0I knew these men were all solid men of God who read the Word and prayed.\u00a0\u00a0I asked \u201cWhen you go \u2018number 2,\u2019 as you are sitting there, are you sometimes praying to God?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0My question drew smiles and laughs but they replied \u201cSure, sometimes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0I then said to them \u201cSo do I.\u00a0\u00a0And I figure that if I can talk to God while doing that, I didn\u2019t figure that He minds too much if I wear a suit or not.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0They looked at me for a second, maybe trying to figure out if I was serious.\u00a0\u00a0Knowing that I was they nodded their heads showing that the understood what I had said.<\/p>\n

Now I think that a person ought to attend church in a way that does not offend their own conscious.\u00a0\u00a0If you can afford a suit, and think you should wear one to church, then I think you should or you are sinning.\u00a0\u00a0Why, because \u201cwhatever is not from faith is sin.\u201d (Romans 14:23<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0If one does thinks that something is a sin and does it anyway, then it is a sin.\u00a0\u00a0Essentially, for that person, it is rebellion.\u00a0\u00a0So if one thinks that they should honor God by wearing a suit to church, then that they must do.\u00a0\u00a0Even though there is nothing in His Word that says so.\u00a0\u00a0Romans 14:22\u00a0<\/b>states that \u201cThe faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.\u00a0\u00a0Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I do advise that however one dresses that modesty be a guide. We are our \u201cBrother\u2019s Keepers.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Here are a couple verses from the Word to use as a guideline. They are not guidance from men, but from God.\u00a0\u00a0If you disagree, you argue not with me but with God Himself.\u00a0\u00a01 Timothy 2:9<\/b>\u00a0\u201cLikewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0Deuteronomy 22:5<\/b>\u00a0\u201cA woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the\u00a0Lord\u00a0your God.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0Now I know that the first verse seem pointed at women, but men should follow the same principle just as Deuteronomy applies the principle to both.\u00a0\u00a0Following these principles, dress in the manner that you think you ought to.\u00a0\u00a0We are not slaves to do\u2019s and don\u2019ts but are slaves to Jesus who came to free us. (Galatians 5:1<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0And Jesus came to set us free, not to sin, but live a life of freedom as we live in the Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0And the Spirit does not lead us to sin.\u00a0\u00a0We are completely free to live as we desire as long as we live by the Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0Galatians 5:22-23\u00a0<\/b>\u201cBut\u00a0the fruit of the Spirit is\u00a0love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,<\/span>\u00a023\u00a0gentleness,\u00a0self-control; against such things there is no law.<\/span>\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0So live free, wear a suit or don\u2019t wear a suit, just be sure to wear a spirit that loves and honors God. (Galatians 5:25<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0He is good and He loves us.\u00a0\u00a0Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has\u00a0shown you, Oh man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of you, but\u00a0to do justly, to love\u00a0mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.<\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Romans 14:22-23\u00a0\u201cThe faith which you have, have\u00a0as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who\u00a0does not condemn himself in what he approves.\u00a023\u00a0But\u00a0the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because\u00a0his eating is\u00a0not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.\u201d Many moons ago I was standing in a circle with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[1872,1969,94,1874,17,10,2036],"class_list":["post-2516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-deuteronomy","tag-galatians","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm","tag-romans","tag-timothy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2516"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2517,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions\/2517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}