June 15, 2015: Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12-17

¹²As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 Reflection:

                  My favorite Johnny Cash song is "Man in Black."  In this song he talks about wearing his black clothing for others:

"I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he's a victim of the times

I wear the black for those who've never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said."

According to the song, when Cash dressed for a performance he thought of the poor, hungry, imprisoned, and lost people and his clothes served as a reminder for him and others of the injustices present in the world.

 I am what you might call a "clothes horse." I take time each morning to consider my outfit and what it might say about me. What if, when we dressed each morning we took a moment to put on the attitude of compassion, kindness, humility, love, patience and harmony and wore these throughout the day? If we wore these as our outer garments, what impression would we leave with everyone with whom we come in contact? How would it change our day, our attitude, and our lives?

Questions:

1. What spiritual clothing do I put on each morning?

2. How have I practiced compassion, kindness, humility, love, patience and harmony today?

3. Where did I succeed in donning clothing of compassion and love, and where did I fall short? How can I do better tomorrow?

Prayer:

Holy God, thank you for the example you have given me in Christ Jesus. Help me to clothe myself in your love, compassion, mercy and patience and to wear this attitudes every day. Correct me when I fall short and empower me to continue to strive to be more like Jesus. In his name I pray. Amen.