Tag: gentleness
Colossians 3:12-14 A Fashion Trend That Never Changes
No one who knows me would tell you that I am a fashionista—someone who is on top of all the latest fashion trends—but I do try to wear clothes appropriate for the occasion. Just as I would not wear formal attire to paint my house, I would not wear my painting clothes to attend a wedding or a banquet. Your beliefs and attitudes can often be discerned by what you wear. Do you have respect for others? Do you have respect for yourself? Many of my students at the Faculty of Education would question what to wear as they prepared to start a placement in a new school. I always advised them that it would never be a problem if they were more professional or more conservative than the other people working there.
In Colossians 3, Paul advises us what to wear and what not to wear, metaphorically speaking. In Colossians 3:1, he tells us to keep seeking things above—keep working toward becoming more and more like the person that Christ wants us to be. This is not an instantaneous transformation, but a work that will be in progress as long as we are on this earth. Christ died to redeem us all from our evil human nature, but it is up to us to continually choose to live in a way that honours Him. So Paul tells us to put off such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language and lies. (Colossians 3:8,9)
Since who we display on the outside is usually a representation of who we are on the inside, Paul exhorts us to change our clothes. He wants us to clothe ourselves with a heart of mercy. (Colossians 3:12) Mercy means showing compassion when we have the power to punish. If someone has done you wrong, you have the opportunity to forgive them instead, which is another piece of the clothing that Paul suggests. (Colossians 3:13) He also recommends kindness, humility, gentleness and patience—putting others ahead of ourselves and being considerate while also treating them with respect and tolerance. We are all on this journey towards transformation together, and none of us has reached our destination yet. We need to be understanding of each other’s imperfections.
Above all, Paul asks us to put on love. (Colossians 3:14) Although we can, by way of duty, accomplish all of the preceding virtues without having love, I Corinthians 13 tells us that without love, all else is meaningless. It is our love for God, and His love flowing through us, that will help us to love those around us. It is our love for God that will make us want to choose a wardrobe that will best represent Him. If you want to wear the outfit that is most appropriate for your role as a child of God, wear love.
Colossians 3:12-14 A Fashion Trend That Never Changes
No one who knows me would tell you that I am a fashionista—someone who is on top of all the latest fashion trends—but I do try to wear clothes appropriate for the occasion. Just as I would not wear formal attire to paint my house, I would not wear my painting clothes to attend a wedding or a banquet. Your beliefs and attitudes can often be discerned by what you wear. Do you have respect for others? Do you have respect for yourself? Many of my students at the Faculty of Education would question what to wear as they prepared to start a placement in a new school. I always advised them that it would never be a problem if they were more professional or more conservative than the other people working there.
In Colossians 3, Paul advises us what to wear and what not to wear, metaphorically speaking. In Colossians 3:1, he tells us to keep seeking things above—keep working toward becoming more and more like the person that Christ wants us to be. This is not an instantaneous transformation, but a work that will be in progress as long as we are on this earth. Christ died to redeem us all from our evil human nature, but it is up to us to continually choose to live in a way that honours Him. So Paul tells us to put off such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language and lies. (Colossians 3:8,9)
Since who we display on the outside is usually a representation of who we are on the inside, Paul exhorts us to change our clothes. He wants us to clothe ourselves with a heart of mercy. (Colossians 3:12) Mercy means showing compassion when we have the power to punish. If someone has done you wrong, you have the opportunity to forgive them instead, which is another piece of the clothing that Paul suggests. (Colossians 3:13) He also recommends kindness, humility, gentleness and patience—putting others ahead of ourselves and being considerate while also treating them with respect and tolerance. We are all on this journey towards transformation together, and none of us has reached our destination yet. We need to be understanding of each other’s imperfections.
Above all, Paul asks us to put on love. (Colossians 3:14) Although we can, by way of duty, accomplish all of the preceding virtues without having love, I Corinthians 13 tells us that without love, all else is meaningless. It is our love for God, and His love flowing through us, that will help us to love those around us. It is our love for God that will make us want to choose a wardrobe that will best represent Him. If you want to wear the outfit that is most appropriate for your role as a child of God, wear love.
Matthew 10:16 Gentleness
Gentleness is not something that I’ve ever been known for. I have to say that as I get older, I have mellowed considerably, but I’m still not sure I would be described as gentle. When I was younger, and I felt wronged, I would always fight back; I didn’t know how to just let it go. My husband calls this my heightened sense of justice. The fact that gentleness didn’t come naturally to me, however, was no reason not to work towards the goal of being more gentle, for the Bible instructs us to. We are told to be gentle (Ephesians 4:1-3, Titus 3:1-2, James 3:13, I Timothy 6:11, Proverbs 15:1, II Timothy 2:24-26, Philippians 4:5) just as Christ is gentle. (Matthew 11:29)
In the early verses of Matthew 10, Jesus sent His disciples out to the people of Israel to preach that the kingdom of heaven was near. He gave His disciples the authority to heal the sick and to cast out unclean spirits. He instructed them about what to take with them and what to do when they entered or left a town, and He warned them that it would be dangerous for them. In the Bible in Basic English translation, Matthew 10:16 is worded this way: “See, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and as gentle as doves.” Other versions use the word harmless or innocent in place of gentle, but the point is still the same. To be gentle means to be pure and innocent. Even though they were going to face persecution from the world around them, the disciples were not to retaliate. They should not be naïve about the dangers, but they should not contribute to them either. The most they could do would be to shake the dust from their feet as they left the town. (Matthew 10:14) Let it go!
With gentleness, as with all the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, it is good to pursue the goal of having more in your life, but the only sure way to have more of the fruit of the Spirit is to have more of the Spirit. If you have a problem with gentleness, or more specifically not enough of it, pray. Ask God to fill you with more of His Spirit so that you may have more of the fruit.