"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."
Colossians 3:12-14
When Paul asks us here to "put on" some things, it reminds me of the idea of wearing the armor of God, but instead he is talking about just normal clothing, which also reminds me a little of the story of the Emporer's New Clothes, where a swindler convinces the king he is wearing fine clothing when he is not, and he goes outside unclothed. Although we of course wear physical clothing, if we are not wearing this spiritual clothing, we could be likewise in the embarrassing situation of not being clothed, spiritually.
I also like the idea of being bound to perfection. We can't really qualify for perfection ourselves in this life... it is out of reach to us, but Christ atoned for us, and treating others well and loving and serving his people... those things bind us to him, and ensure that we can reach that perfection someday, through his mercy and grace.
Today, let's clothe ourselves in mercy, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and especially love, and we will be spiritually ready to face the world, and be bound to that perfection and unity that God promises to the faithful.
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