Colossians 3:12-14 The Message
12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
All of us have times in our lives when we need those extra measures of support and love.
When things are difficult or when we mess up and feel as if no one can love us, we need to be cared for and loved.
And there are times when we need to extend ourselves to extend care for others, especially when they mess up or are going through difficult times.
From Colossians 3:12-14, Apostle Paul describes the new life, the simpler life, that followers of Christ pursue and live into solely because of Christ’s sacrifice.
Followers of Christ put off their old selfish ways and put on all the new virtues they can have because of Christ.
And over all of those things we are called to put on love, which pulls everything else together – unconditional love is 100% essential and integral to community.
The Call to Pursue Godly Character!
God loves you!
God loves me!
He chose you and He chose me to be one of His holy people, so we must clothe ourselves in His love and principles.
We all must go to that one place in life, acknowledge and realize that others have faults and show them the grace and forgiveness that Christ has given us.
We are to be in a single minded unity, filled with gratitude, which will set the tone for our lives, spiritual growth, and our relationship with God and others.
This is about what we, as baptized Christians, are to put on, put off in our lives.
What are we to put on?
Fruit, (not fruit of the loom) which is the Holy Spirit working in and through us, so we are oozing with His love.
We are to become His masterpiece and showcase of God’s goodness and grace.
What is produced?
Tender mercies, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness; these are virtues that are sealed and empowered by His love for us, which comes from Christ ruling our hearts and His Word indwelling us.
This is not a set of ideas we are being asked to consider.
Rather, we are called and “must do” them!
What do we get in return?
Peace which surpasses our understanding, as Christ dwells in us and uses us in the lives of others through our words, our prayers, our attitudes, and lifestyle.
God’s command to love affords us a life of simplicity that can only be found in his kingdom come to earth.
Colossians 3:14 says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Christianity is a simple religion.
Jesus said all of God’s commandments can be summed up with one word: love.
Galatians 5:14 says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
How is it then that our spirituality often feels so complex and difficult?
How is we have a hard time experiencing the simplicity our faith affords us?
Complexity in Christianity finds its root in the attempt to live for both the world and God.
Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Loving God and people is simple.
There is only one right choice before us in all that we do.
Complexity enters into our lives as soon as we try and juggle living for the world and living for God.
There is a fence between this world and God’s kingdom too high to straddle.
It is impossible to put one foot in God’s kingdom while keeping a foot in the world.
God longs for you and me to make our first action every day to serve and love him alone.
He longs to guide us into the incredible, abundant life that comes from seeking his kingdom above all else.
1 John 2:15-17 tells us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
You cannot have both love for the world and love for your heavenly Father.
This world is at enmity with God (James 4:4).
It is set against him and his ways.
But you and I have been given a choice by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.
We’ve been given a real, available option to serve, love the eternal, Almighty God.
It’s time for the bride of Christ to end its affair with the world.
It’s time for us to let God love us and in response live for him alone.
It’s time for us to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
Choose today the simplicity of love.
Serve God alone.
And discover a life far greater than anything you could experience outside of living for God above all else.
Dearly loved/beloved. God loves you and me and accepts us more powerfully, passionately, purposefully, and deeply than you could ever fathom!
You are secure. God “guarantees” you with a clear, powerful, loving, impacting, and lasting relationship with Him.
When we are in Christ, God is pleased with us!
No need to fear; we are a people of deepest value and worth before our Lord!
We are forgiven because of Jesus Christ and His righteousness that covers us-not because of our deeds or performance.
We are unique and complete in Him; and because of this, we are a special person whom God loves and will use to further impact His kingdom (John 6:37, 44, 65;13:1; 15:16; Rom. 5:1-8; Eph. 1:4-5; Phil. 1:6; Col. 1:21-22; 2:10; 1 John 4:9-11)!
Devotional Thoughts and Applications:
We need to see this passage not just as a slap beside our head to get right with God so our behaviors are right, but also as an encouragement that we can do it.
Since Christ gave us new life, we have the empowerment, gifts, and abilities, and alongside that, the Spirit’s indwelling to rise up and live for Him.
Because Christ is supreme, because He is there molding and guiding us, we can set our purpose and vision of our life in Him and for Him.
He is our real life; He is our all in all.
We each share in His glory, so we can make the decision, live out the choice to put to death all that holds us all back from embracing and living for Christ, and become persons of true spiritual maturity who are effective for the Kingdom!
We can recognize sin and remove its influence from us.
How is this done?
Simply put by Paul in the next verse, by allowing the Word-Christ’s presence-to dwell in us, and learn His instruction, so the peace of Christ will rule in our hearts and minds and translate into our actions.
It is all about our spiritual growth impacting us so it impacts others positively and in love.
The key is to know Christ is sufficient, so we can trust in Him-and in Him alone!
Our faith is by facts that are tangible, impacting what is intangible.
Without His intervention-our spiritual circumcision-we remain in our sins and are dead to God in a hopeless and worthless state.
Because of Christ, we have forgiveness and hope.
We are alive and God favors us!
Jesus nailed our sins to the cross and in so doing, disarmed the evil of the world.
Sin is still roaming around, but neutered as to what it can do to a Christian.
He is victorious through Christ Jesus and we have our eternal victory in Him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
1. Meditate on the impossibility of loving God and the world. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to seek God first today in all that you do.
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matthew 6:24
2. How have you been in friendship with the world? In what ways are you trying to serve two masters?
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
3. Confess any sin of pursuing the world to God and receive his forgiveness and love. God has total grace for us in our sin. All he wants is to guide us to a life more filled with his presence, love, and purpose. Don’t wallow in your sin. Receive God’s gift of forgiveness and choose to live differently.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
It’s incredibly important as believers to acknowledge both our sin and the powerful transformation through God’s love that’s available to us.
So often we allow our past sins and present failures to define us.
In reality, we’re given an opportunity every day to receive God’s transformation and healing that we might live more like Jesus.
Lamentations 3:23 tells us that his mercies are new every morning.
If we will receive the mercies available to us today, receive them in the spirit in which it was first given by God, we can choose to truly live our life differently.
Have faith in the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you to help you.
Ask Him to decisively, definitively show us the root of your sin (Psalm 139:23-24) that we might pray for His grace and receive healing and transformation.
May you and I discover today a wonderful life rooted in the simplicity of love.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 