Develop the most important

Олексій • 1 year назад

Imagine that you are wearing the shirts of compassion, patience and forgiveness. It may sound funny, but Colossians 3:12 tells us to “put on” the traits that match our identity in Christ. In other words, we need to clothe ourselves in actions and attitudes that make us more like Jesus every day.

So how do we do it? One way to start is to think about the things that are keeping you from living more like Jesus, and then begin to replace those things with the opposite actions.
– If you are being sarcastic and harsh, say something nice instead.
– If you tend to seem harsh, do something that requires gentleness.
– If you harbored a grudge, express forgiveness.

While doing this, participate in activities that develop you spiritually. It could be hanging out with friends who will keep you accountable, learning scriptures you can apply to your life, or developing compassion through service in your community. The more you intentionally practice actions that lead to humility, compassion, and kindness, the more these traits will become a natural part of your life.

And when you cultivate the qualities mentioned in Colossians 3:12, the changes it will bring about will be most evident in the way you treat other people. The apostle John said that we cannot claim to love Jesus if we hate one another (1 John 4:20), so a life that reflects Jesus will be the embodiment of love. And according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, love “suffers long, love is kind… It is not angry, it does not think evil… It bears all things, trusts all things, always hopes, endures all things.”

A life marked by God’s love demonstrates all that the apostle Paul speaks of in Colossians 3:12.

So, if we want to live like Jesus, we need to accept the new life He has given us and accept His unconditional love. Only then can we begin to reflect His love for others by showing people compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

So what do you need to do today to put on these character traits? Identify one or two issues that are holding you back and make a plan to remove them from your life and replace them with actions that draw you closer to Jesus.