Colossians 3:12-17 – “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  NKJV

When the Bible tells us to “put on something,” it gives us a directive that we should undertake in practice, not just theory.  It will never be something that the empowerment of the Spirit of God is not available for, nor something for which the Grace of God is not provided. 

When Paul tells the Colossians to “Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another….” he is not suggesting something optional but a direct commandment from the Lord and possibly in our human lives.

Paul takes it further and says, “Put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”  He also says, “Let the peace of God rule our hearts.”  None of those are possible without full surrender of our lives, hearts, minds, and wills to God.  We must become His completely, or this will never be possible to walk out in reality.  Our carnal desires, attitudes, and egos will subvert those character traits, and selfishness and self-centeredness will overrule every time. 

How do we accomplish this?  Look at what he tells them and us in verses 16-17, and you see the key.

• The Word of God dwells in us richly and enables our fellow believers and us to teach and admonish one another spiritually with the full intent of restoration and forgiveness.

• Whatever we do, we are to do it “in the name of the Lord Jesus” with a thankful heart.  This is not just uttering the name of the Lord but doing it as if we were Him or as his representatives and manifestations of His nature and character so that all can see. 

That means everything, including our jobs, homes, and business relationships – EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE!  Is that easy? Heaven’s no!  Is it possible?  Yes, we can attain this condition and position only by following the prescribed attitudes and actions in the preceding verses.  Therefore, it should be our ambition to be Christ-like in all that we do!

May the Lord be with you as you go through the day, and may your life and mine be a positive testimony of His love, grace, and goodness!  Blessings