August 9, 2023 WHAT TO PUT ON
Colossians 3:12-15 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.”
Just as we choose what clothes to put on, we choose what spirit to put on. This choice as to what to put on has major consequences both for us and those around us. We are born with unique personality traits, but these traits are not to define who we are. As believers, we have been chosen by God and we are not who we use to be; we have been, and are being, transformed into His image. We are not refurbished, we are new creations. As new creations, and having the Spirit of God living in us, we have the ability to ‘put on’ what is of God-what is like God. We are no longer bound to who we use to be, or to our past, or to our old temperaments, or to our surroundings and circumstances. It is nothing short of a miracle, but we can now put on the new self; a new self that is in the likeness of God. We are primarily known by our actions-how we relate to others; and our actions flow out of out of our hearts. For example, if I get angry because someone cuts in front of me in traffic, then I have anger in my heart and the traffic incident simply exposed what was in my heart. This is why it is so important to put on the new self; the new self is compassionate, kind-hearted, humble, gentle, patient and forgiving. Paul summed this up by saying above all, we are to put on love; the love that is of God produces in us good fruit-the fruit of the Spirit. His love in us cannot be contained; when we are walking in the love of God, we cannot help but be expressions of His love. Back to the traffic incident; I know how easy it is let rude drivers make us irritated and angry; I am not saying that we are perfect in all our ways all the time; BUT it is ever so critical that we know that God has given us a new heart; however, we must ‘put on’ this new heart. This is a major cross road-a major issue for all believers; we daily, even hourly, make the choice whether we will walk by the old self, or put on and walk according to the Spirit. Being made a new creation is radical; the new creature that God has made is in the likeness of God. What a miracle that flesh and bone like ourselves can be walking-talking expressions of the nature of God-even in unpleasant circumstances!
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Blessings, Buddy
Colossians 3:12-15 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.”
Just as we choose what clothes to put on, we choose what spirit to put on. This choice as to what to put on has major consequences both for us and those around us. We are born with unique personality traits, but these traits are not to define who we are. As believers, we have been chosen by God and we are not who we use to be; we have been, and are being, transformed into His image. We are not refurbished, we are new creations. As new creations, and having the Spirit of God living in us, we have the ability to ‘put on’ what is of God-what is like God. We are no longer bound to who we use to be, or to our past, or to our old temperaments, or to our surroundings and circumstances. It is nothing short of a miracle, but we can now put on the new self; a new self that is in the likeness of God. We are primarily known by our actions-how we relate to others; and our actions flow out of out of our hearts. For example, if I get angry because someone cuts in front of me in traffic, then I have anger in my heart and the traffic incident simply exposed what was in my heart. This is why it is so important to put on the new self; the new self is compassionate, kind-hearted, humble, gentle, patient and forgiving. Paul summed this up by saying above all, we are to put on love; the love that is of God produces in us good fruit-the fruit of the Spirit. His love in us cannot be contained; when we are walking in the love of God, we cannot help but be expressions of His love. Back to the traffic incident; I know how easy it is let rude drivers make us irritated and angry; I am not saying that we are perfect in all our ways all the time; BUT it is ever so critical that we know that God has given us a new heart; however, we must ‘put on’ this new heart. This is a major cross road-a major issue for all believers; we daily, even hourly, make the choice whether we will walk by the old self, or put on and walk according to the Spirit. Being made a new creation is radical; the new creature that God has made is in the likeness of God. What a miracle that flesh and bone like ourselves can be walking-talking expressions of the nature of God-even in unpleasant circumstances!
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Blessings, Buddy
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