WEAR GARMENTS MATCHING YOUR DIVINE DESTINATION
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 22:1- 14)
The above parable contains so many lessons we can meditate on. However, I only want to focus on verses 11 to 13.
During the wedding party, the King notices that a man was not wearing wedding clothes. Let us analyse those three verses and draw lessons from them:
1.Lesson number one : In life, your dress code should match your destination
In the wedding party, everyone was dressed as guests to a wedding. I know for sure that this is true because the one man not wearing wedding clothes stood out when the King saw him. In other words, that man was the one-odd person in the gala room.
The destination was the wedding and in order to be admitted, the guests had to dress in a way that matched the celebration.
This lesson is not only for Heaven but also for our own personal development. As Christians, we have all been called to fulfill a specific destiny. The call is similar to the invite we receive from God. However, if we want to reach the final destination of our calling, we will need to wear garments that match our destination.
When people see us wearing those garments, while we are on our way to our destination, they will know and understand that we are on our way to a place that matches our garments. The term ‘garment’ is not only a reference to literal clothes but it is also a reference to a series of actions, behaviors, decisions and choices that lead us to the destination where God has called us.
Let me use this example: “If God calls brother A to become an attorney. At a certain point, during his life journey, brother A will have to make decisions and adopt behaviors that clearly show that he is going to be an attorney. Those choices include: enrolling at university for a law degree, studying hard to pass his subjects, watching law documentaries, attending court cases as a learner observer, mingling with lawyers in lawyers associations,etc..’ All those actions are like garments that will ultimately allow brother A to have access in the world of attorneys.”
The example is valid and can be adapted to the various forms calling we receive from God. Regardless of the divine calling we receive, there's got to be a point in time where your garments have to be visible as proof that you are actually going where God has called you.
You can not access the place where God has called you if you don’t start wearing the ‘garments’ matching that place.
Some Christians like to enter everywhere without putting in the work and energy needed to be granted access. It’s like the wannabe athlete who wants to compete in the Olympics without training and self-discipline. That wannabe athlete will not make it into any serious competition.
Lesson number 2: It is possible to force an entry in a place without garment but you won’t maintain your presence for a long time in that place
In verse 11 and 12, we can clearly see that the man got inside the wedding party without a wedding garment. Even the King was surprised and He asked him: ‘how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’
It is possible to enter a place that has right of admission in a fraudulent manner. The man could have entered through the window, or through any illicit ways. In spite of being inside, he got kicked out and this is the lesson we can learn : “ You cannot remain in a place if your garments do not match that place.”
It’s like a man who claims to have a medical degree while attempting his first surgical operation in a hospital…Sooner or later that man will get caught in his lies and he will be kicked out of the hospital.
Lesson number 3: ‘The garments are also for Heaven’
The parable of the wedding feast is also an analogy to Heaven which is the destination we should all aim for.
We cannot wear garments that do not clearly show our Heavenly destination. Our lifestyle, our decisions, our choices should show to the world that we are going to Heaven.
Therefore let us wear garments that show that we are moving to the destination where God has called us.
“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 22:1- 14)
The above parable contains so many lessons we can meditate on. However, I only want to focus on verses 11 to 13.
During the wedding party, the King notices that a man was not wearing wedding clothes. Let us analyse those three verses and draw lessons from them:
1.Lesson number one : In life, your dress code should match your destination
In the wedding party, everyone was dressed as guests to a wedding. I know for sure that this is true because the one man not wearing wedding clothes stood out when the King saw him. In other words, that man was the one-odd person in the gala room.
The destination was the wedding and in order to be admitted, the guests had to dress in a way that matched the celebration.
This lesson is not only for Heaven but also for our own personal development. As Christians, we have all been called to fulfill a specific destiny. The call is similar to the invite we receive from God. However, if we want to reach the final destination of our calling, we will need to wear garments that match our destination.
When people see us wearing those garments, while we are on our way to our destination, they will know and understand that we are on our way to a place that matches our garments. The term ‘garment’ is not only a reference to literal clothes but it is also a reference to a series of actions, behaviors, decisions and choices that lead us to the destination where God has called us.
Let me use this example: “If God calls brother A to become an attorney. At a certain point, during his life journey, brother A will have to make decisions and adopt behaviors that clearly show that he is going to be an attorney. Those choices include: enrolling at university for a law degree, studying hard to pass his subjects, watching law documentaries, attending court cases as a learner observer, mingling with lawyers in lawyers associations,etc..’ All those actions are like garments that will ultimately allow brother A to have access in the world of attorneys.”
The example is valid and can be adapted to the various forms calling we receive from God. Regardless of the divine calling we receive, there's got to be a point in time where your garments have to be visible as proof that you are actually going where God has called you.
You can not access the place where God has called you if you don’t start wearing the ‘garments’ matching that place.
Some Christians like to enter everywhere without putting in the work and energy needed to be granted access. It’s like the wannabe athlete who wants to compete in the Olympics without training and self-discipline. That wannabe athlete will not make it into any serious competition.
Lesson number 2: It is possible to force an entry in a place without garment but you won’t maintain your presence for a long time in that place
In verse 11 and 12, we can clearly see that the man got inside the wedding party without a wedding garment. Even the King was surprised and He asked him: ‘how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’
It is possible to enter a place that has right of admission in a fraudulent manner. The man could have entered through the window, or through any illicit ways. In spite of being inside, he got kicked out and this is the lesson we can learn : “ You cannot remain in a place if your garments do not match that place.”
It’s like a man who claims to have a medical degree while attempting his first surgical operation in a hospital…Sooner or later that man will get caught in his lies and he will be kicked out of the hospital.
Lesson number 3: ‘The garments are also for Heaven’
The parable of the wedding feast is also an analogy to Heaven which is the destination we should all aim for.
We cannot wear garments that do not clearly show our Heavenly destination. Our lifestyle, our decisions, our choices should show to the world that we are going to Heaven.
Therefore let us wear garments that show that we are moving to the destination where God has called us.