Colossians 3:12 - "Therefore as God's chosen people, holy an dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
God makes us a family, with brothers and sisters in Christ. We don't choose them, God does, but it is left to us to live with them as one. We can do that only by clothing ourselves in
Compassion - Mental compassion is willingness to look past faults and not hold a person to a strict standard. Emotional compassion is to suffer with someone. Job's friends showed emotional compassion but not mental compassion.
To show compassion, meditate on the cross. We all fall and fail. The only way to get through it is by grace.
Kindness - Do what is best for someone, what makes them most like Jesus. It doesn't necessarily make the person feel good. Kindness makes us grow. For example? He upholds and sustains us with His mighty arms. It's Hebrews 10:24 - spur one another on.
Humility happens when we don't push out our own agenda, when we don't have a sense of entitlement. How can I benefit others? Sacrifice seen through the lens of self-interest makes absolutely no sense. If we expect something greater than suffering than we expect something better than the perfect Lamb of God. The church is a corporate body, not a competitive business.
Gentleness does not mean wearing kid gloves, but we are only as hard as we need to be. Like pulling a child out of traffic, it may mean a firm touch. Jesus broke people down so He could rebuild them. Gentleness brings the truth in love. We cannot beat ourselves up and expect to be helpful. Churches should be gentle. Some churches have the spiritual equivalent of lupus, where the body attacks itself.
Patience is long-suffering or long burning. It is bearing with hardship and sometimes indignity for a long time. James says it's only because of God's patience that we are saved.
No comments:
Post a Comment