"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it."
I have given up some entertainment time and filled it with more physical activity, prayer and reflection. When I go to the gym, no matter how holy the thoughts, the exercise clothes ... well, they just don’t smell holy. Funny thing about that, merely changing the clothes doesn’t make me clean, I need a shower plus the clean clothes in order to be clean.
Paul in Colossians talks about being chosen by God for a new life of love, dressing in the wardrobe God picked out for you, putting on compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength and discipline. Chosen by God for this new life, what does that mean? Should I put on new clothing Paul describes in order to obtain this new life? Do I change my outer image, my clothing, my actions, my words, in order to somehow become acceptable to God?
No, I think what Paul is saying is just the opposite. I have already been chosen by God and cannot earn His favor. God has chosen me, and picked out clean, fresh clothes for me to wear after He washed my stinky sins away through the blood of Jesus. If I try to put on the clothing without the washing, then I merely speak the words and do good deeds in order to win God’s favor or the favor of other Christians. That would be like going to the gym and putting on clean clothes without a shower. But once I have been made clean, do I really want to put on the old stinky clothes and the habits I had before Christ washed me?
I was reminded again that I do not need to impress God to win His favor: accepting Christ’s work on the cross has already made me acceptable to God. Our new position in Christ requires new clothes, which Paul has described for us. And that last one - love - that is like deodorant. As Paul said, never be without it!
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