What do Jesus Followers Wear? Part 2

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Last month in part one of this article, I talked about a very important decision that every Christ-follower must make. That decision is simply, “What will I wear today?”

Each day we choose what type of clothes to wear and this is an important decision. As I write this it is a cold and rainy day, so I chose to wear something warm. But I know that at the end of the week it is supposed to be hot again, so of course I will wear something different, maybe shorts and a T-shirt. The clothes that I choose to wear each day will affect how my day unfolds.

Knowing that we could all relate to wearing clothes, Paul wrote to the church in Colossae describing what they should “wear” when it comes to who we are as people. Last month I talked about the first part of this passage, in which Paul said that each day we are to put on compassion and kindness and humility and gentleness and patience. And in this article I want to pick up where I left off, looking at more things that Paul says we should put on.

Starting in verse 13 of Colossians 3, Paul goes on to say that Jesus-followers should “bear with one another 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.”

Okay, so when I read these two verses I’ve got to ask, “How am I doing with living these expressions of passionately pursuing LIFE in Jesus?” Here are three more items of clothing to put on:

Bear With One Another – This phrase literally means “to hold up” or “to hold back.” God bears with us in that He holds back His judgment. When we bear with one another we hold back judgment, we don’t allow the desire to judge hinder our ability to keep the relationship close. Bearing with one another is putting up with others even when they fail or act differently from what you expected.

Forgive One Another – It is not enough that as Jesus-followers we simply endure grief and frustration and refuse to retaliate – we must also forgive. Failure to forgive leads to feelings of hatred in our heart, which will move us into greater sins. Forgiveness is a powerful healer as it opens our hearts to the love of God. The very moment we have a complaint against another person, Paul would say that we should forgive them in our hearts. Why? Because we are to forgive as the Lord forgave us.

Love – We can look at love as the overcoat we put on over everything else. This is the most important piece of clothing to put on because it builds perfect unity. When love rules in our lives, it unites so that there is a beauty and harmony in our relationships. Love is a product of allowing the Holy Spirit to rule our life – it is the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. And the kind of love we are to have is a self-giving love that is more interested in the other person than having your own interest in mind. It is a love that is not dependent on the worthiness of the person being loved.

How are you doing at daily putting on these valuable and essential articles of clothing? If you’re like me, there is plenty of room for improvement. But whenever I consider what it means to passionately pursue LIFE in Jesus, I can easily look to these words of Paul as the place to focus on and apply to my daily life. The journey continues…