Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12-17

Being in and responding to God's love has a profound ethical effect on us. We respond to God by first being “holy,” that is, set apart for God's special life for us, and being “beloved”, that is, enjoying being loved by God. Do I enjoy being loved? Do I enjoy being loved by God? Do I live in the awareness of what that love means in terms of daily life? Here is how I respond to God’s love. First, I choose to have a gut-level demeanor that is expressed in my dispositions. The word heart in verse 12 is the word for belly, the place where we get butterflies during highly emotional moments; at this place I have compassion. Compassion means a sweetness of disposition, an approach to life that is the opposite of severe or harsh. Harshness or cynicism should not be the mark of a disciple. The five virtues or characteristics listed in verse 12 build on each other and are not optional equipment for a Christian. So how did we develop this life? It begins with the decision to want to. We will fail, but that is why there is grace. If we truly want to, God will supply the fulfillment.

These virtues are essential because we are all jerks. We are jerks in the way we behave and respond to the people who are jerks to us. The question is never, “How are they behaving?” It is always, “How do I forgive and respond to them?” Paul assumes that there will be conflict; he had no illusions about a happy, harmonious church. Rather, how do we love while in conflict so that love and unity are more pronounced than conflict? When the bond of love pulls us together, we will, in certain ways, have begun to arrive at our destination.

Life in the community has to be governed by the terms of the “Peace of Christ.” This peace acts as the umpire over our hearts. This is a different word for heart than the one used earlier; this is the mind and the will. One way we might put it is that the Peace of Christ, acting as the umpire, will direct us not to follow a course of action that will get our mind or head cranked up about conflict and anger. Again, how do we do this? The interaction between disciples happens in the atmosphere of worship. Singing, studying, and fellowshipping that focus on building each other up and coaching each other is the life of the disciple. In this atmosphere, where we do all for Him in thanks, the importance of our disagreement fades to its rightful place, and we realize how unimportant these issues really are.

“Lord, help me to love and live in the Peace of Christ. AMEN”