Clothe Yourselves with Compassion
Colossians 3:12-14 (New International Version)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Application
This is one of those passages that is so beautiful when read in The Message. Eugene Peterson paraphrases the passage like this:
“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.”
Wear love. Never be without it.
This is one of those passages that you and I could write about for a long time. That’s the goal today. This is a “What does this passage look like in my life” type day. The only directional help as far as journaling goes is think about what it means to put on love and wear it. Write down the thoughts that the Spirit brings to your mind when you think about wearing love, being content with second place, being quick to forgive an offense, forgiving completely…
