DAY 20: ESSENTIAL QUALITIES FOR UNITY

DAY 20: ESSENTIAL QUALITIES FOR UNITY

SCRIPTURE:

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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

OBSERVATION:

What would the perfect church be like? Essentially, it would be not so much because of the beauty of the building or the modernity of the facilities and sound system. Instead, it would be primarily the quality of the people in the church themselves. Imagine going somewhere where everyone was compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another, forgiving, and above all these, loving. These are the qualities we all need to desire for and what will keep the church united.

And these qualities do not emanate from within our human selves. It comes from above. We clothe ourselves with these qualities. It all starts by realizing our identity, that we are specially chosen by God, that we are holy and dearly loved. It is when we know we are dearly loved and set apart by our Father God that we can really exhibit these qualities.

In the armor of God, Paul speaks of the helmet of salvation. The Greek word for Salvation, Sozo, is all-encompassing, not just being saved from a spiritual sense, but also physically, mentally and emotionally. When we believe in our hearts and in our minds that we are saved by God, specially chosen, holy and dearly loved, that belief of our identity in that way enables us to exhibit the qualities of Christ. If our minds are filled with doubt and become double-minded, it affects our emotions and even physical well-being, leading to poor attitudes and actions. That’s why it is so important to guard our minds and to reinforce our true identity in Christ Jesus.

In another passage, Paul writes to clothe ourselves with the Lord. There was this Jacky Chan show called the Tuxedo, which enabled him to do superhuman things whenever he wore it. In a sense, what Paul says is similar. When we clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ by faith, we will exhibit His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love in ways we could never do by ourselves.  

APPLICATION:

Desire to show the essential qualities for unity in our lives. Make it a point to guard our minds with the helmet of salvation, holding true to our belief that we are saved in Christ, who has enabled us to be God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. No matter what others may say, or what doubts assail our mind, fight back by declaring again and again if we need to “I am one of God’s chosen people. I am holy and dearly loved because of Jesus Christ”.

See ourselves being clothed by Jesus Christ in faith. Begin to walk and talk and relate to others as if the Lord Himself is doing so, with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

PRAYER:

We praise You and thank You, Father God, for the beauty and precision of Your Word. We thank You that You called us to be Your own, Your specially chosen people, set apart for You, holy and dearly loved. Teach us, Lord, to put on Jesus, Your precious Son. Teach us to learn to act and think and move like You, Lord Jesus, to show Your great love and qualities to others, in patience, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness and humility. Draw us closer and closer to You O Lord, we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.