Verse of the Day 11/8
Colossians 3:12-13
You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others. 13 Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them. The Passion Translation (TPT)
As Christians, as Christ followers we should realize by now that we are called to live "counter culturally". Jesus' ways are not the ones of the world around us. The heading for this passage in The Passion Translation is "Love One Another". As you watch or read the news there is not very much love that is being shown and there doesn't seem to be many people that feel loved.
Today's verses point out several very important things for us if we truly desire to follow Jesus. First, at the center of it, we have to realize that we are loved by God, no matter where we find ourselves, He is there and He loves us. The second point is that His virtues are to be our virtues. And what are some of these?
- Be merciful - show mercy which includes forgiveness, have regard for the other person, be helpful without conditions
- endeavor to understand others - it doesn't mean that you have to agree with them on everything, but you can try to understand where they are coming from and go from there
- be compassionate - feel for them, do what you can to try to help and encourage others
- show kindness, we see plenty of the opposite, hateful speech and actions, we are to respond with kindness
- be gentle, avoid anything that may hurt someone,
- be humble, you know what it means, it is the opposite of being prideful
- be unoffendable- wow! Talk about being counter cultural. Can we try this for even a few hours let alone days?
- tolerate weaknesses, don't expect too much of others, instead try to help them along and overcome weaknesses
- forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven you
The New King James Version below gives a different heading to the same passage, "Character of the New Man". The two headings go together. If we are to love one another we will be showing our new character; if we show our new character we will be loving one another.
Read the passage below and....." Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!" Colossians 3:17 The Passion Translation (TPT)
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Colossians 3:12-17 New King James Version (NKJV)
Character of the New Man
12 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.
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