Clothe Yourselves

Posted on September 10, 2018 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

I am not much of a movie watcher but there are certain movies I have enjoyed over and over again.  One of my all-time favorites is “The Princess Bride.” There is a scene in which the hero Wesley has been tortured and is “mostly dead.” To rescue Princess Buttercup from the evil prince, Wesley and his friends must storm the castle. Wesley wishes for a cloak of invisibility and, lo and behold, the giant Fezzik just happens to have one! Fezzik puts on the cloak, frightens away the guards, the castle is stormed, the princess is saved, and they all lived happily ever after.

When Fezzik put on the cloak of invisibility, it completely changed how people saw him. Colossians 3:12 says: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

– Compassion is “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another’s suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause.”

– Kindness is “a state of benevolence, desiring to do good to others.”

– Humility is “a modest sense of one’s own importance.”

– Gentleness is being “kindly and amiable.”

– Patience is “the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, pain, etc., without complaint.”  (Oxford Dictionary)

We are God’s chosen people. We are holy and dearly loved. But how often do those close to us or the annoying, hurtful people who cross our paths see the characteristics with which we are told to clothe ourselves? Does it mean that this is something we have to work at? Unfortunately, that doesn’t work. Our flesh shows up and people run for cover. Our job is to allow the Holy Spirit to shine through us; it is to get out of the way and let His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience to be seen, not our poor attempts to mimic Him. It means that instead of trying to be something I am not, I trust Him to do His work in and through me. Trusting, not trying. Surrendering our will and our way (putting on our “cloak of invisibility”) so that the sweetness of Jesus Christ is seen in me.

Written by Cherri Raws Freeman: Cherri Raws Freeman is the author of the book Beside Still Waters: Discovering Peace in the Midst of Your Child’s Addiction. She and her husband Joe, a graduate of the Colony of Mercy, founded Love Them to Life, a support ministry for mothers of addicts. Cherri is  a graduate of Wheaton College and the mother of 5 adult children, 2 of which struggled with addiction issues.

The Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 42-43| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength.” – Charles Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. — Proverbs 29:20