Clothe Yourself

January 9, 2024

From Jackie Payne

The last week and a half has seen my devotionals focusing on Colossians 3. The verse that has stood out to me and has come back to my mind many times has been verse 12:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

As a human none of these (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience) comes naturally. The patience one on its own is a challenge. I know the words that come out of my mouth and the thoughts that roam freely in my mind. That’s why God tells us (after reminding us who we are – His chosen people, holy and dearly loved) that we need to choose to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient.

The visual of putting on a coat of patience particularly came to mind as I dealt with a spectacularly fun parenting moment last week (sarcasm intended). The last thing I wanted to do was to be patient…and a lot of times I fail at this magnificently. But last week Colossians 3:12 came to mind in the midst of this push-my-buttons time. I was patient…and it had NOTHING to do with me and my wonderful achievement. It had everything to do with the Holy Spirit bringing that verse and visual to mind and gifting me patience.

We serve an amazing, almighty God who goes out of His way to make sure we have what we need if only we’ll ask.

What do you need today? What do you need to clothe yourself with today? Just ask.