CBC Worship Ministries: Devotional Blog

I know this is really sad, and I know that I'm really showing my age
when I say this - but I like old, comfortable clothes. I used to like
buying new clothes. It's not that I don't like new clothes. It's just
that I always seem to gravitate to the old ones. My slippers look like
they've been through a meat grinder. But they're comfortable. My
sweatshirts have no shape. But they're warm and soft. My T-shirts
have been through the wash a thousand times and they're all worn out -
but I just have a hard time turning them into dusting rags.

So it was with some trepidation that I came to read Colossians 3:12
the other day. Paul tells us that, "as God's chosen people, holy and
dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience." Whoa!! Does this mean we gotta get all
dressed up when we become Christians? I immediately starting going
through old-clothes withdrawal. I gave the verse a second look and
tried to figure out what exactly Paul was suggesting we do.

It seems to me that if Paul is telling us that we have to put some
"new" clothes on, that we've got to get rid of some old ones first. So
what is the opposite of compassion? Perhaps insensitivity. Perhaps
we've been wearing insensitivity around each other. Like a bull in a
china shop, we just lunge ahead, not considering how it might hurt or
negatively impact others. To me, compassion is simply treating others
as you would want them to treat you. OK, well, Paul tells us the next
article of clothing is kindness. If we put on kindness, we've got to
abandon something. If I'm not being kind, I'm probably being
inhospitable. It's not that I'd be malevolent, but simply not
hospitable. That's gotta go. Paul's next apparel description is
humility. No problem, there, I'm full of humility! (just kidding, I
know that if you think you're really humble you've already
contradicted the whole idea of what humility is.) Paul's got two more
garments to fit on us. The first of the two is Gentleness. If I
haven't been gentle I've most likely been rough. Rough on family.
Rough on friends and co-workers. Time to change that old style and
put on something nice and gentle. Finally, Paul tells us to dress in
patience. OK, this is where I gotta draw the line. It would be like
telling me I had to wear a kilt. (I never thought men looked very
good in skirts) Patience is one of the toughest ones for me to wear.
But it's probably one of the most essential garments in my closet.

Yep, it's time to throw out some old clothes. I bet most of you have a
few garments you'd be better off without. I'm thinking that, no
matter how old or young you are, there are some old clothes you just
don't want to throw away. So don't get all uppity on me and act like
you're dying for a new spiritual wardrobe. I want you all to think
about this over the next several days. Maybe you'll discover that the
clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are
really MORE comfortable if you just give 'em a chance. So go on, go
shopping. And don't come back until you've tried on some of these
wonderful spiritual fashions!