“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience”
Colossians 3:12 NIV
It’s interesting that most of us know how to dress for every occasion—even when someone invites us to their home and says: “Come just as you are”. I’d bet most of us would change anyway before we set out; isn’t that right?
But do we attach as much importance to our “spiritual wardrobe”?
In Colossians 3:12 Paul lists some of the spiritual garments we should be wearing at all times. Let’s take a brief look at them.
Compassion—the spirit that moves our hearts to action when someone is hurting or in need.
Kindness—the moving force behind a small encouraging gesture or a major investment of time and effort to help someone else.
Humility—the quality that enables us to enjoy our own successes while giving God and other people the credit.
Gentleness—a garment that doesn’t clash with others because it is never harsh or unnecessarily forceful.
Patience—the spirit that endures day to-day irritations and frustrations with serenity, and bears with the foibles of others in a loving spirit.
A person wearing these quality garments will stand out in a crowd just as Jesus did. I am sure we all remember stories of how Jesus demonstrated these qualities in His day to day life. For example, Jesus showed compassion both to individuals and to crowds of people (Luke 7:13; Matthew 15:32).
It was due to those qualities that people flocked around Him, and, when we are clothed in these self-same garments, we draw people to Him too. After all, when it comes to spiritual clothing, Jesus Christ was the best dressed person of all time.
Prayer
Lord, help us to reflect you wherever we go. Fill us with your Spirit and clothe us with the appropriate garment for every occasion in your service.
Amen.
Study by Cliff Neill