“You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others. Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them. For love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity. Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of His one body. And always be thankful. Let the word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts! Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!” Colossians 3:12-17 TPT
What clear direction in how we are called to live as children of God; divinely chosen to be holy. It is such a beautiful opportunity and a great challenge all in one and we, as believers, have been entrusted to live it out.
When I comb through the words of this passage, I see:
Be merciful
Be compassionate
Be gentle and humble
Be unoffendable in patience
Be Forgiving
Be guided by peace
Be thankful
Be filled with the Word
Walk in unity
Be in constant praise
What a list! And in the midst of it we are told, “…love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues.”
I had studied this scripture a few weeks back, and it has since returned to the forefront of my mind multiple times; in conversation, my devotionals, and even a job orientation. This, love, is the piece that God has continuously built upon in each encounter with this passage.
We are asked to integrate love into everything that we do. In fact, Paul tells us that without love things like spiritual gifts, faith, a generous heart… are nothing.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV
With out love, we are clanging cymbals, we are nothing, and we gain nothing. Emptiness. Powerless. Purposeless.
Love is the electricity flowing through the power lines of our hearts. It is required to shine the light of God.
With all of this in mind, God has continued to take me back to the top of this passage.
“You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with…”
Why are we asked to display these virtues? Why are we are we given such clear direction in how to live? Why are we instructed to cover everything in love?
Because we are loved. The motive of our love is His love. We are asked to love because He first loved us.
I mentioned that this passage comes with such a beautiful opportunity and also a great challenge, but it is not a challenge that we have not been equipped for in every way. We are not asked to walk in anything that has not also been extended to us.
Mercy. Compassion. Gentleness. Patience. Forgiveness. Peace. Joy. Love.
We don’t have to love to gain His love, but rather we can love because He first loved us.
I want to encourage you to go back through this passage out of Colossians. Dwell on it. Let it live in you richly.
You have always been loved, are loved, and will always be loved. Utilize every opportunity that you are given to display love coated virtues of God today.
Let His love be the motive of your love.
