NEW CLOTHES!
NEW CLOTHES!
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 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. —Colossians 3:5-14
We have taken off the old self like taking of clothes and we are putting on the new self and that is like slipping into new clothes. The point is very clear as you read this passage. Now guys usually don’t things like this, but gals do— a friend walks into the room with a new dress on and her friends take notice right off and make comments. That is how it should be with us as we mature in Christ. People should notice that there is something different about us because of our relationship with our Lord Jesus. We are “clothed” differently.
Our values and life-style should be different than that of the worlds in the areas of “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” This is because we “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” This renewal, which leads to transformation, is a renewal of our mind— “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This is a life-long process to “be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” in any situation or circumstance life brings our way.
“Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” are part of the new clothing we are to put on. So is to “bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone” and to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” A most important part of that new clothing is to “put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
So, brother and sister, let us go forward today with that new clothing on, not the old. May this be so dear Father in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus. So be it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBcqria2wmg