Colossians 3: 12-17…. The ‘put-ons’.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Comment: Our lives are not meant to be empty shells. Yesterday we read the orders for us to do away with many, past practiced, but evil characteristics and acts. Today we are told with what to replace them. Chosen by God, forgiven and loved we are given a list of very positive things to ‘put-on’ character-wise. Who gets on well with everyone? We are told how to handle such situations by bearing (putting up with) and forgiving each other. We are given a list of characteristics which are other-related rather than self-centred. Let your life, as I am challenged to let mine, be centred around thankfulness, knowing and praising God, majoring in letting His peace rule our thinking and behaving. That is, we are to know that the future is well known to Him and we don’t have to be in turmoil for the problem situations which we see around us at every level.

Prayer: Thank You that Your plan for us is positive and good. In fact life-fulfilling! Amen.