“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”- Colossians 3:14
Paul tells us, that above all things we are to put on love. As love is the chief of virtues, and all the others grow out of love. As Christians, we should be the most loving people, because we realize how much God loves us. We love in response to the great love and grace we have been given. However, often I do not think the world sees us as loving. I think when this verse states, “put on love”, it is an indication that love is a virtue that we can and should develop.
There are many ways that we can grow in our love. We can accept people as they are, and not expect everyone to be like us, or abide by our rules. Please understand, I am not saying to condone behaviors the Bible specifically speaks about. Tolerance is not lacking an opinion or conviction, it is how we treat people whose opinions or convictions differ from ours. Another way we can grow our love, is by overlooking the small stuff. Not every perceived slight, needs to be dealt with. It is acceptable to be gracious, as we realize we are not perfect and others have been gracious with us. Most importantly, God has been gracious with us. We can grow our love by recognizing people’s unique gifts and how they can build the body of Christ rather than focusing on their faults. Lastly, we can reflect on the way we love. When we find areas where we are not loving as God has called us to, we need to work to eliminate them, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul reminds us that love draws the body of Christ together. Love unifies rather than divides. Love draws people to Christ rather than pushing them away. As Jesus said, “the world will know you are my disciples by your love”. Pray that you and I “put on” love…and grow and develop in our love…today and always!
Rebecca Hasselbach has a passion for Jesus and this life He has given her. She enjoys sharing her love for Jesus through her role as a pastor’s wife. She loves God’s creation and enjoys spending as much time in it as possible. Rebecca also enjoys expressing herself through writing, and counts herself blessed that she gets to spend her time raising her children. To read more of Rebecca’s writing visit her blog www.beautyinthemoments.org