Saturday, October 10 — Get Dressed in Love

Nobody leaves the house in the morning without checking what they are wearing. It might be worth asking what we are wearing on the inside.

Colossians 3:12-17 — KJV

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Colossians 3:12-17 — WEB

12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. 14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. 17 Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.

Explanation

Yesterday Paul told the Colossians to take off the old self. Today he tells them what to put on. Notice who he says they are before he tells them what to wear: "the elect of God, holy and beloved." Identity comes first, clothing second. Believers do not dress in compassion to become God's people; they dress in compassion because they already are. Paul is not handing out a checklist for earning approval. He is describing how people who have been loved look from the outside.

The wardrobe is plain and demanding: deep compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Then two actions that cost something: bearing with one another and forgiving whoever has a complaint against you, "even as Christ forgave you." Over it all goes love, which Paul calls "the bond of perfectness," the belt that holds the whole outfit together. Then Paul turns to the shared life of the church: let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, be thankful, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God. Anyone who has grown up singing in a sanctuary knows how true this is: the songs carry the Word into the body.

This is a moral compass written in one paragraph. Our unit, "Lacking Leadership and a Moral Compass," looks at what happens when a community loses its direction, and Sunday's lesson in Judges 2 points to the moment it was lost: a generation arose "which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done." Colossians 3:16 is the remedy. Let the word of Christ dwell richly; teach it, sing it, pass it on. And it ties to "God Works Despite Evil": the Lord does not wait for a perfect people. He clothes the ones He has chosen with what they could not produce on their own.

Pick one piece from Paul's closet and put it on this week. Maybe it is forgiving someone who never apologized, so that you can quit carrying it. Maybe it is thankfulness, thanking God out loud at the end of a day that did not go as planned. Maybe it is the quiet work of teaching a child or a grandchild a verse or a hymn, so the next generation does know the Lord and the works He has done. None of these will trend. All of them hold. When love is the belt, everything else stays in place.

Thought for the Day

Put on love first. Everything else fits better.

Reflection Question

Which piece of Paul's wardrobe, compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness, or thankfulness, do you most need to put on today?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for calling us chosen, holy, and loved. Dress us today in compassion and kindness, patience and humility. Help us forgive as You have forgiven us. Let Your Word live richly in our homes, and let love hold everything together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: God Works Despite Evil.