Image is photo of Adabelle Grace wearing her favorite Christmas gift (or so I want to think it is!). photo by grandpa.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3: 12-17)
As I prayed this morning I said what I usually say, "Lord, anoint me with Your Spirit, so that I may receive, live, and be the Gospel," and I heard "Be Good News walking!" Would that describe you, dear Friend? And then I opened today's passage and there it was! A description of what it means to be Good News Walking!
Through our relationship with Jesus Christ, God has chosen us and made us holy and beloved, but also wants us to dress or "clothe" ourselves with these blessings that will make us Good News Walking! Look at that list: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Compassion people draw people to themselves for they treat others with deep understanding. These past weeks you and I have probably been in stores or pharmacies where some were truly and wonderfully compassionate. We enjoyed being in their presence. Others, God bless them, just wanted 5 o'clock to roll around so they could check out (though by their manners they were already checked out!). Kindness goes with compassion. If we truly love God, and allow the love God places in our hearts, we will be kind to people. Kindness means, "Here, I'll do this extra thing because I love the Lord and I love you." The opposite of kind is usually mean; and we don't get drawn to mean people. One child one time told us, "I like being in your house because everyone is nice, and I can be nice." Nellie and I wondered what other homes were like; but nice homes are blessed with nice people, who seek to be kind.
Humility is a must for all walks of life. To place oneself as a true servant of the Most High says that we recognize that God has first place in our lives and we must serve Him, and seek to serve others. Humility is recognizing our imperfections and working hard to overcome them, calling attention to God and not to ourselves. The humble person points upward with their actions and words. The conceited point in only one direction, to themselves. And usually most people will see right through them and recognize the deficiencies. Meekness and patience also go hand in hand; meek means knowing when to hold our temper and when to use it. Jesus, long the model of meekness, did demonstrate His anger at the money-changers in the Temple, while still staying in the true definition of meekness, thus His "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Patience is knowing how to count to ten, when others are yelling, "ONE!"
"Bear with one another says a lot about how we should treat people. The Good News Walkers are all about that; forgiveness is part of our name and our being. And look at the crown piece of clothing that we must wear: Love. Love does, "bind everything together in perfect harmony." And top that with peace in your heart and gratitude in your attitude. Fill up your spirit with God's word (as you're doing now) and show it, as you sing, pray, and worship God!
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Amen.
PRAYER: Lord, as one day soon we will write a resolution for the New Year, let me start today, resolving to do all of the above. I want to be Good News walking! I want people drawn to me for kindness and compassion, and love and welcome. Fill my heart with Your love and let it overflow into those whose hearts need it the most. I pray this in Christ Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be GOOD NEWS WALKING today in all ways!
Eradio Valverde
