How we dress makes a statement about ourselves, especially today.  Immodest apparel has become the norm.  People of all ages dress immodestly.  When we as Christians cover ourselves properly, we stand out.  This is the way it should be, not to be personally praised, but to glorify God.  That is the purpose of letting our light shine before the world (Matthew 5:16), which dressing modestly will do.

Remember, as Christians we represent Christ.  The world should always see Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20).  This being the case, if we dress immodestly, knowing that it will cause others to have negative feelings toward God, we are acting disrespectfully toward Him.  Revering God as we should, will cause us to avoid doing anything that will disgrace Him or His name.  The Jews failed to realize this.

Romans 2:24 (ESV)
²⁴ For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

The Jews were doing this by living contrary to the law before the Gentiles.  We do the same thing when we fail to live according to the gospel before the world.  If we claim to be God’s children and followers of Christ and then live sinfully before the world, God will be blasphemed.

Another way to reverence God by the way we dress is by wearing our best when we gather together to worship Him.  This shows God that we do not consider times of worship as just another event.  We recognize that we are appearing before our Creator and want to dress properly.  Putting on proper attire when appearing before God has always been pleasing to Him.

When the people of God were going to appear before God in the days of Moses, the Lord told Moses to tell them to wash their garments (Exodus 19:10).  Why do you think God told them to do that?  I’ll tell you why—it was a special occasion because they were about to be in the presence of greatness.  It was not just another day.  Today too many brethren view the Lord’s Day as just another day and one way it is reflected is by their dress.

In the Old Testament, priests wore holy garments when engaging in acts of worship (Exodus 28).  Are we not God’s royal priesthood today, serving Him in the kingdom of His Son?  We too should dress appropriately, revealing that we understand the importance of serving and worshiping God.

It is in vogue today to say that how we dress for worship is not important because God only cares about the heart.  Brethren have accepted this without giving a second thought about how God feels about it.  We know that God is pleased when we make a special effort to wear our best when worshiping.  Why would we not want to do something that we know would please God?

At the end of the day, what you wear to worship services is a personal choice.  God has not commanded us to “dress up” when we gather to worship Him.  However, God does care about our motives.  So, if you have started to follow the crowd and “dress down” for worship services, ask yourself why.   Is it for your own comfort?  Are you thinking about God or yourself?  That is an easy enough question.   And if your answer is, “God hasn’t commanded us to wear our best to worship services,” you are probably thinking more about what you want than doing something that would please God.  Remember, just because we do not have to do something, does not mean that we shouldn’t.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.