“What should I wear today? Do I look good in this outfit?” Many of us probably had this thought as we dressed up this morning. For some, it might have been a fleeting 15 second thought. For others, a highly critical decision worth a 30-minute contemplation. Thinking about what to wear just seems to be a natural part of every day life. After all, it impacts the physical appearance we show to others. Now as we think of the image we project, how many of us actually pay attention to our spiritual wardrobe? How many of us actually spend time thinking about the image we show with our virtues and actions?

Last Sunday, Pastor Jacob continued to take us through the book of Colossians, this time teaching us how to put on our new self in Christ. Paul begins verse 12 saying, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of…” He commands us with the verb, “put on” or in some versions to “clothe yourselves”, his choice of words implying an action that we need to do everyday. For what reason? Because we “have been chosen of God”. Because through accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are born again and have a new identity in Him. Because the life we live must now be based on the life we received in Christ.

So in the succeeding verses, Paul asks us to put on 5 virtues, and shares 2 actions that shows these virtues fleshed out in our daily lives.

 Virtue #1 The Heart of Compassion

Compassion is to have a deep sensitivity to the needs and sorrows of others such that it affects your own inner being. It was a new concept Christians introduced to the ancient world, where it was normal to abuse animals or to have no provisions in place for the elders and widows. As Christians, we too are called to reflect a heart of compassion for others. Not a fake or superficial kind of compassion, but one that genuinely shows even when we’re faced with difficult people or situations.

 Virtue #2 Kindness

Kindness is a concrete action that expresses ones compassion towards others. It’s compassion brought to life. It could be as much as giving a coat, a free meal, and 20 dollars to a pickpocket like Pastor’s story about Julio Diaz, or something as simple as giving a smile to a stranger.

Virtue #3 Humility

Humility is a proper estimation of oneself. It is not a self-debasing attitude but an attitude that is free from pride and self assertion. Humility could be the rarest and purest of Christian virtues, being the opposite of the great sin of pride. It is sadly rare even in Christian circles, especially for us who live in a highly competitive society like Singapore. Yet, we are called to be humble. We are called to bow down before our awesome God, and humbly accept that we all have equal footing when it comes to God’s love and offer of salvation.

Virtue #4 Gentleness

Gentleness is strength under control. It is the image of a powerful horse reigned under the control if a skillful rider. Paul calls us to be gentle, to have that calm strength even in the midst of waves and storms.

Virtue #5 Patience

Patience is the enduring of one another’s exasperating conduct without flying into rage. It is remaining calm in the face of those noisy people in the movies, that child kicking your chair in the plane, or that inefficient colleague at work. It is to be like a dad who gets hurt by his careless son’s fishing hook, yet who still calmly and lovingly teaches his son how to fish. It is to respond to irritating situations with love, knowing that the onus for diffusing tension starts with us.

Action #1 Bearing with One Another

As we live out our virtues, Paul calls us to reflect this by bearing with one another. It’s to not sweat the small stuff. Like the article, “What Shamu taught me about a Happy Marriage”, there’s something we can learn from exotic animal trainers. To train these animals, trainers would ignore bad behavior and reward good ones. Similarly, we too can bear with one another by letting go our family and friends’ irritating habits, and appreciating the nice things they do.

 Action #2 Forgive Each Other

He also calls us to forgive each other. The word forgiveness has its roots on the word grace. We forgive others not on the basis of merit, but on the basis of grace. We forgive not because others deserve it, but because God forgave us first though we too did not deserve it. It is on the basis of being forgiven, that we find released in us an impulse to forgive others.  

As we put on these 5 virtues and live out these 2 actions, Paul reminds us to tie these all together in love, “and over all these virtue put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v14). To clothe ourselves in Christ, we need God’s agape, sacrificial love. A love that does not start from us, but flows through us as we allow God to work in us.

 As we reflect on last Sunday’s message, let’s ask ourselves. Have we been compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient? Do we live a life bearing with one another, and forgiving each other? Do we live a life of love, drawing strength from the God who loves us and lives in us?