Colossians 3:12
As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
I read this an I wonder. Clothe ourselves? Does that mean that without these clothes we conduct ourselves with the opposite of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience?
Do we have the strength everyday to put on these clothes? We wake up in the morning and it doesn't take but a few seconds before something offends us and we get caught naked without these clothes.
I think most of us don't think we are worthy of this top of the line designer wardrobe. Instead, we wake up and we grab our trusty pair of ruthlessness and anger pants. We think it has served us well over the years.
But this verse is telling us to shed those old clothes because we have been chosen. Chosen as models to go down the runway of life, outfitted with top of the line clothing, designed by the best designer ever!
As people see us modeling compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience they will step up to the register and will want to order the same clothing.
To their surprise, they will find out, that the entire collection is available to them for free!
2 comments:
I'd love to hear what you, and historians and linguists, know about the concept of "chosen people." It seems to suggest that some are chosen, and others left behind.
The phrase "chosen people" activates some bad associations for me from my Catholic upbringing, this idea that some people, based on their race, or group, or birth, are less wanted, less deserving, or flat-out unqualified to enter heaven for some action or circumstance outside their choices.
I'm much more in tune with the concept that we create ourselves through our choices.
Great comments!
In my opinion "Chosen people" has certainly been abused over the years and still today.
My thoughts on it... If God didn't choose you, why are you here on earth? Nobody has any grounds for thinking they are more deserving or more qualified than any other.
The point of my message was to show that ALL of us can line up to model God's wonderful wardrobe. And to support your comments, it's our choice, it's free and there are no prerequisites or qualifications.
Your last sentence however scares me. To believe that my creation is solely left to my choices?
Call it faith, I rather believe that God has ordered my steps. He knows the beginning and the end. He will finish the good work he began in me and you.
If it was entirely left to me, I think I would be doomed!
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