As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with 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 the one body. And be thankful. — Colossians 3:12-15
So far this week we have looked at embracing who we are in Christ, growing in maturity by taking responsibility for our own lives, rejoicing in the Lord no matter the circumstances, and taking a regular inventory of sin so we “catch” things more quickly, before they take up a lot of room on our plates.
Today we are going to look at how you choose to begin your day. While some of you may have a specific uniform you have to wear to work, most of you have to make a choice each day about what you want to wear. You may choose clothes because of color, durability, style, or a variety of other reasons.
What do you dress up in spiritually? You may not have ever thought about that. But if you do not choose what to wear, you will end up wearing things you do not like. For example, if you choose to put on forgiveness—you decide to forgive people quickly and not keep a record of wrongs—it will not be as tempting to put on bitterness. But if you do not choose forgiveness, you may get to the end of the day and realize you got angry over lunch because of what someone said to you and you are still angry hours later.
Paul encourages us to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love. It is impossible to choose perfectly. But we can faithfully seek to honor God in the ways we interact with others. How do you clothe yourself spiritually?
To Think/Pray About Today
Take some time to think about how you “clothe” yourself spiritually? What do people see when they see you? Would they know you are a Christian by your words and actions? What changes do you need to make to your wardrobe—your thoughts, words, and actions—so you glorify God in your daily life and interactions with others?
Prayer Focus: ZCI Consulting
Cedarville United Presbyterian Church 