Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, compassionate hearts, kindness… Colossians 3:12
There are a few things that I never forget to do. I never forget to eat. I never forget to sleep. And I never forget to put clothes on before I leave my bedroom.
I am trying to get my son, Asher, to remember these things as well. He is only 2 and half. Right now his highest priorities are: play… play… and go to church. I am really excited about that third one! I do wish he would place eating, sleeping and dressing somewhere on his list though. He actually doesn’t do too bad with the eating or sleeping. The wearing of clothes though… wow.
Every night after his bath it is the same thing. As soon as the towel comes off, he takes off down the hall. He apparently got the recessive “streaking” gene. I used to chase after him, but now I just yell out, “Naked baby on the loose!” and let Meredith take off after him. She thinks it is cute. I am seeing a college freshman running around campus the same way… not so cute.
It often takes both of us to corral him (He is very quick and agile for his age… not to mention still slippery). And we can get his PJ’s on him. It is always a workout for us, and I think he enjoys watching Mommy and Daddy panting.
I really hope putting on clothes becomes a priority for him soon. I REALLY don’t want to deal with a college streaker.
I think God looks at us the same way.
When we submitted to Christ and received forgiveness and Christ’s righteousness, we were washed clean of our sin. Now, He commands us to clothe ourselves with the character of Christ. And while I am sure He thinks it is cute for his spiritually newborn children to run around “naked” for a time as we celebrate our new, clean status, He still wants us to grow up quickly. That means that we should desire to put on compassion, kindness, etc. every day before we leave the house. In fact, He is hoping that it will soon be something we never forget to do.
Putting on Christ’s compassion and kindness means that we will live lives that reflect the grace of the gospel. These are the two characteristics of Christ that reveal his heart most clearly. God desire is to magnify Himself most through his mercy. Compassion is God’s “feeling” of mercy, and kindness is God’s “application” of mercy.
Every day we put on compassion and kindness by first looking to the grace we have in Christ. We did not deserve to be saved. Have you really thought about that recently?
God would have been perfectly just in condemning all of humanity to hell because of our sin and rebellion. BUT, God chose to magnify his mercy in Christ. He chose to forgive our sin when we have faith in Christ, and instead God put his wrath on his Son as our substitute.
When you think about that for any amount of time, it will transform your mind. God’s word and his Spirit will humble us and bring this compassion Christ has for us out of our innermost being and place it on display in our actions. This is “putting on Christ.” It is not adding anything to our lives… It is allowing Christ’s righteousness to be displayed in our lives.
So, today, think on the mercy of God that we received and did not deserve. As God transforms your mind and heart, look for ways to display that mercy to others. Take those opportunities to magnify Christ’s mercy.
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