Wrong Dress Up
In Australia our traditional clothing is not beautiful fabrics or interesting accessories but a singlet, some thongs and an akubra hat.
Reference: v. 5 During the entire period of the Nazirite’s vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: Different cultures can be identified by their traditional clothing. Indian people wear beautiful coloured saris, Dutch people wear clogs, and Japanese wear kimonos. In Australia our traditional clothing is not beautiful fabrics or interesting accessories but a singlet, some thongs and an akubra hat. It was hilarious when our Prime Minister attended the G20 Summit in Korea 2010. As part of them welcoming all the nations leaders to Seoul the organisers created special figurines of the leaders in traditional dress holding their country’s flag. When it came to Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard they dressed her up as an Austrian milk maid. While our country’s name is similar to Austria it is actually on the other side of the world and our national dress is rather different. Maybe they were confused… or maybe their fashion police refused to dress even a doll in such tragic fashion as the Australian traditional clothing!
Application: People can be identified by their outer clothing. Even when a group of people from the nation of Israel chose to set themselves apart for God, they were commanded to grow their hair long. This would have been a noticeable feature and would have told others that they were dedicated to God. I feel that I have set aside my life to God and yet my fashion is no different to the next person in the street. The way people see that I am dedicated to God is through my actions and words, rather than my outer clothing. It may not be as obvious to begin with but our intention is to let our lives shine Jesus’ love so strongly that they can see that our hearts are sold out for God.
Prayer: Lord, may my life shine Your love and glory to those around me. Amen.
Would people be able to notice that you are dedicated to God?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.