Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
We cannot work our way into salvation. God has done that for us, but as His chosen people, He has a way in which He calls us to live. In a world set on serving its own selfish needs would it not be amazing to find a people sold out to living as God’s people, setting aside personal agendas to love God and the people He loves. Imagine the contrast, if we as a body could grow to the point that someone could look at us and see these verses from Colossians alive in us.
To be honest, I struggle with the spirit of these verses on a daily basis. Honestly, there are days that I am arrogant, anything but patient, and sometimes I am not that kind. However, by God’s power, I know that I will be transformed beyond my failures. I know that it is happening already. I was not saved and immediately made perfect. God is cleansing me and making me into what I was always meant to be so that God can be glorified in me.
My prayer is that this transformation would take place in you through Jesus Christ and that you would strive to put on these attributes of God so that He will be evident in you.
Are You Being Transformed?
Has Anyone Ever Told You That Your Doo Doo Stinks?
I was listening to a song tonight by a popular Christian rapper. There was a line that he used in reference to himself that really made me think. He said, "Simple minded little punk, and I was a chump, no one ever told me that my doo doo stunk."
Toilet humor makes me laugh, so after laughing and taking a second to think about what he was getting at, I realized there may be a lesson in this. Think about it, if we all realized that we are all the same, no matter what our economic status, race, education level, or any other marker that we can imagine, this world would be a much different place. At the end of the day, or at the beginning, whichever you prefer, all of us have stinky poop.
Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome , that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Basically, none of us measure up, and there is nothing that we can do to measure up. Thank God, He did not let all of our problems keep Him from loving us. Thankfully, He saw us through eyes that could see past our stinky poop. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, demonstrating God's amazing love for this fallen world.
Just remember as you live in the world and deal with the people in your circle of influence, that your doo doo stinks just like theirs, and whether they seem worthy or not, they deserve to know Christ's love.
