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After putting off our earthly nature, the Apostle Paul encourages us in Colossians 3 towards what God called us to do – to be more like Him. And this can be manifested by clothing ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col. 3:12) – everything that the incarnate Jesus was. Just as how we daily put on clothes, Paul tells us that putting on all these qualities is a daily affair.
Having stained or soiled clothes for a day does not mean that they need forever to be stained or soiled. Our tempers may be bad, our compassion may be lacking but each day, we have the privilege of asking God for his grace, mercy and forgiveness. With His love in us, we can always ask to be more like Him. Let us not give up striving to be like Him! In the words of the Apostle Paul to the Church at Philippi: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13, 14).
Also, note that these qualities are mainly expressed in relationships. A large measure of our Christian life is found in how we interact with people and the quality of relationships we have with them. Do we consciously seek and desire to be more like Jesus in our daily interactions at school, at work, at home and at Church? In the words of a famous hymn: “More about Jesus would I know: more of His grace to others show.”
Paul tells us that as new persons in Jesus, we are to “pay it forward”. We must forgive just as we have been forgiven, love as we have been loved. Also, just as we proclaim our trust and faith in Jesus, we should accordingly trust and have peace ruling in our hearts. The message of Jesus should be the binding glue among his people as it teaches, trains, rebukes and corrects (2 Tim. 3:16). Lastly, as people who have set their minds on things above where Jesus is, may it be our purpose that whatever we do will be done with our hearts, souls and minds. We will simply need to remember that we do it all and always for His glory.
