If you study your Bible, you may be reading the title of this blog post and thinking… yep! I know what this one’s about. Putting on the full armor of God. Wrong! Or maybe how to dress modestly, as a Christian lady. Wrong again! The book of Colossians tells us that there are some things we are to put on as a child of God. I wish I could tell you these are one-time “put on”s. They’re not. These things have to be put on daily. Over and over again. I can tell you from being saved almost 18 years, that starting your day by putting on these things makes a big difference in your life!
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Colossians 3:12-15
Let’s break these “articles of clothing” down:
- Bowels of mercies: inward affection, tender mercy
(Do we have compassion and mercy on others? Are we tender towards their situations?) - Kindness: moral goodness, integrity
(Do people know they can trust you? Are you grouchy?) - Humbleness of mind: having a humble opinion of self
(Are you overly proud of your abilities/gifts God has given you? Do you count yourself blessed just to be used by God for His glory?) - Meekness: gentleness
(Do you handle people and situations gently? Or are you brash and harsh with your words?) - Longsuffering: patience
(Oh my how patient God is with us! Shouldn’t we extend some of that gracious patience to others around us? None of us are perfect.) - Forbearing: to put up with, endure
(How much complaining do I do about less than ideal circumstances? We will all go through tough times. Pray through them!) - Forgiving: to pardon or freely forgive
(Is there someone you hold a grudge against? Do we say we forgive others, but then “charge them” for that forgiveness? Holding back a part of ourselves from that person because we don’t deem them worthy is not complete forgiveness.) - Charity: love
(This is the most important garment to put on daily. Are we loving others like Christ loves? This has to be done above and before all else we do.)
So in conclusion…
When we “get dressed” in these items daily, we allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts. Doing so will make us ever more thankful for the things He does in our lives! What we should put on every day, isn’t always what we want to put on. But put on what God wants you to ‘wear’ anyway. That is where the biggest blessings are found!
