TEN LIFE RESOLUTIONS FROM GOD’S WORD (PART 3)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we look at the third of ten life resolutions found within the third and fourth chapters of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. As a review, here were the first two resolutions:

RESOLUTION #1: Set your heart on things above.

RESOLUTION #2: Put to death your earthly nature.

Putting these two resolutions into action creates the opportunity for the other resolutions to happen. For when we set our hearts on things above and put to death our earthly nature, we have set the environment for the Lord to shape us into the people that He wants us to be. We start to find elements of that shaping in our third resolution.

RESOLUTION #3: Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Here we see an illustration used that we all can relate to.

Every one of us gets up daily and decides what we will wear. Sometimes, we change clothes multiple times during the day, depending on the occasion.

At its core, choosing when we wear is a very selective process, especially for ladies. It’s a process that is usually chocked full of careful consideration and pondering, especially when it comes to the season and circumstances with close attention given to style, color, and color coordination.

Maybe you can relate.

Yes, most of us are cautious about what we wear physically but are we as conscientious when it comes to how we clothe ourselves spiritually?

It’s a question that every Christian believer needs to consider and act on. For this third resolution from God’s word challenges us to give attention to the matter, calling on us to don compassion and kindness, humility and gentleness as well as patience. Let’s look closer at the things that God’s word says should be part of our inner wardrobe:

- Compassion which consists of affection, tenderness, pity, and mercy.

- Kindness which can include courtesy, favor, good deeds, and goodwill.

- Humility which is defined as a spirit of mildness, humbleness, surrender, and modesty.

- Gentleness which involves sensitivity, friendliness and politeness

and

- Patience, or one’s ability to remain calm, composed, and cool under pressure.

Do you recognize these behaviors that are to be fully evident in the way a Christian lives?

You should because some of them are found among the fruits of the Holy Spirit that Paul writes about in the fifth chapter of Galatians:

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Vv. 22-23 NLT

When we set our heart on Jesus and eradicate our sinful earthly nature, then the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, clothing us beautifully with His fruits.

Friends, today the scriptures are calling us to assess how well dressed we are on the inside. Let us all carefully examine ourselves and allow the Lord to give us a makeover wherever it’s needed.

Tomorrow, we’ll continue to look at behaviors the Lord expects from His followers.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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