Daily Devotion, March 19, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Colossians 3:1-17.

This writer (Paul or a student of his) uses the image of changing the clothes we wear to talk about the new life we are promised through Christ. He first uses Easter language to talk about who we are (“...you have been raised with Christ…”). He refers to our old life, that it has died. He begins to start a list of things we need to be sure we have “put to death” from that life (vs. 5-9). What do you see on that list that is still alive in you? What would you add to that list (something that is still in your life that is not part of the way of Christ)?

Verse 11 is a great reminder that Jesus Christ is available to all of those people who are different from you. Jesus is alive in many people you and I somehow label as “other.” Learning to see them as your brothers and sisters in Christ is part of learning to live his way.

Our writer then uses the image of putting on new clothes to go along with this new life. This list is similar to the “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5) and other lists describing the people of Christ in the Bible. People see the clothes we wear. Here, we are being invited to live our life so that people around us would see these “clothes” on us: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love (the unifier of it all), peace and gratitude. Imagine how different the world would be if all Christians wore those clothes! What spiritual “clothes” are you wearing? Do you need to do some shopping for new clothes?

Personal Worship Option:

Pray about the one piece of “spiritual clothing” that you most need.