No. 68. Naked and Afraid

I was naked and you clothed me Matthew 25:35

There is a river wider than the Red Sea that separates precious newborn Adam from the man he became. The very first feeling he experienced on the other side was the shame of nakedness so he hid in the trees. God called him out and said to him, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

Poor Adam, his folly made him hyper-aware of himself, his naked body popped out of his consciousness instead of his criminal distrust. Suddenly he was afraid of God, so he blamed his nakedness, and his wife. The fig leaves didn't help.

Before you start cleaning out your closet, ask yourself if cloth is all Jesus meant? After all, how many people have nothing at all to cover their private parts? One would have to search far and wide for a naked person to dress. On the other hand, self-conscious people hiding from God are everywhere!

Jesus wants us to clothe people who are afraid of God and hiding from Him. It is walking them backward into the Garden to live in obedience and trust of our Father as in the beginning. In fact, everything Christ did was to undo The Great Fall, with all of its deadly consequences.

If you spot someone hiding from God today, pull him out of the shadows and clothe him with love and Christ's path home. It is as good as a three piece suit.