Colossians 3:12-14

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

I have a closet full of clothes, but when I get dressed, I tend to reach for the same things over and over. You might say they’re my favorites, and that’s probably true. It’s also true that I have made a habit of choosing those items. I know they fit. They’re comfortable, I haven’t had any problems with them in the past, and I don’t have to give much thought to wearing them. I like them because I can put them on in the morning and then rarely think about what I’m wearing for the rest of the day.

In the scripture reading for today, we receive both promise and instruction. The promise is that we are a people chosen by God, a holy people. The instruction is that as a chosen people striving to live into that holiness, we are to ‘put on’ compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to clothe ourselves in these virtues, to bear with each other, and to forgive as God has forgiven us. And above all, we are to clothe ourselves in love, which binds all these together in perfect unity.

If I make it a daily practice, a discipline, to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience before I begin my day, and cover them with an overcoat of love, soon it becomes a habit. Interacting with others in these ‘clothes’—especially those I need to ‘bear with’ and offer grace and forgiveness to—becomes familiar and natural.

Make a habit of ‘putting on’ Christ in the morning, and it will transform the way you relate to people throughout the day. And when you can bear with someone else in love, offer compassion and forgiveness rather than defensiveness and retribution, it might just transform the way they relate to others throughout the day. It’s like offering someone the coat off your back.

Sadly, I can testify that clothing yourself in selfishness, fear, frustration, bitterness and resentment instead also transforms the way you relate to people throughout the day. Dressing in these vices can easily become a habit as well. And interacting with others in this state of mind exerts its own influence. Have you ever run into someone who sours your mood? Dressing in the ‘clothing’ of fear and anger is like taking the coat off someone else’s back.

So, as we prepare to go out into the world today, let’s consider what to wear.

Let us pray:

God of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, as I go about this day, dress me in love—dress me in Christ. Help me to bear with those who try my patience and to offer forgiveness to those who grieve me. In so doing, may I freely share the love of Christ which you have so generously given to me. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.