Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others].
Colossians 3:14 AMP
The Bible teaches that we should clothe ourselves with Christ. What does that mean?
Clothing ourselves means to cover our nakedness. We surround ourselves with something that moves with us wherever we go. We are no longer exposed. We are protected from walking in shame and the world cannot see what is underneath the clothing.
Christ means anointing. Christ Jesus is the Anointed One of God. His whole life was sanctified, holy and lived in perfect obedience to the Father. We partake of the divine nature of God when we enter into the Body of Christ by faith.
So let’s put those two thoughts together. We are hidden in Christ. Who we were before faith is dead, buried and resurrected in Christ. That’s why we baptize believers into the Body, of which Christ is the Head. We have the mind of Christ. We, individually, are parts of the whole. We do not exist for ourselves or our own purposes anymore. The life we live we now live by faith in God. We belong to something bigger, something eternal, something holy.
Now remember, God is alive. He’s not an idea, a concept, or a construct of one’s imagination. He is a living being with a mind, will and emotions. He has a Body and a Spirit. We enter into God when God enters into us. We were picked by God for salvation before the world ever existed. It wasn’t our plan, but His. Unless God reveals Himself to a person by a personal encounter or revelation, it is impossible to know God. God chooses His children ahead of time for adoption.
Assuming you’ve been adopted into God’s family, now you must purposely clothe yourself in Christ. God is love. So we could say, clothe yourself in the love of God. God’s agape love is unselfish, self-sacrificing, and without favoritism. Quite simply, it’s perfect love without an agenda except what is best for everyone.
That’s what we should be hidden in. It is no longer I who live, but Christ in me. It’s not me who does the good works, but the Spirit of God within me that motivates and empowers me to do the will of God.
Humility is the key to the Kingdom. Pride is the trap door to hell that Satan is always tempting us with.
Truly, we must die to ourselves. Some call it ego death. It’s putting your individualism, your identity, on the altar of sacrifice so that God can live through you. Trust me, it’s enough.
We are not static beings. Our personalities are not fixed. God has the power to heal and transform us from fearful, selfish creatures into bold, loving and caring souls. It’s happened to me and it can happen for you.
Before I knew God, I was self-centered and driven by the lusts of my flesh. I would lie, cheat and steal to get what I wanted. Everything was a performance meant to manipulate others into thinking what I wanted them to think. I believe we call people like that psychopaths. I had no empathy. I existed alone for my own pleasure. It worked for awhile until I reached the end of myself and wanted to die because I had no hope for the future.
That’s when God came into my life. Clearly, we can see that I did nothing to deserve God’s grace and mercy. And that’s the common truth for all humanity. None of us deserve to be saved from the law of sin and death. And yet, God in His infinite grace, mercy and unfathomable love, chose to sacrifice Himself to redeem us and share with us the eternal life found in Christ. That’s the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Love is what life is all about. Love God. Love people. If you do that, you are fulfilling all of the Law of Moses and all of the writings of the Prophets. All those written laws and precepts are just the schoolmasters that point us to the lesson we should be learning. Love is our purpose and God is love. Therefore, serving God in love is our calling.
Now, each of us is uniquely made, gifted and talented in different ways. That’s why we all need each other. We all must serve God and each other with our talents and gifts for the Body to grow and mature. That’s why I write. God has given me the ability to clearly articulate the mysteries of Christ so that just about anyone with an open mind can understand. I want to equip others for the work of service. I want to encourage and exhort people to live their best life, the life surrendered to Christ. It’s a good thing. It’s the best thing you can possibly do for yourself and everyone else. It just makes sense.
So I encourage you to love everyone, even the unlovable. We were once that way ourselves. God loved us first. He opened the Door to salvation. Let’s hold the door open for others as well, with arms wide open.
Lord, we come to You today with humble hearts, rejoicing in Your mercy. We praise You and thank You for Your goodness and Your grace. We recognize that without Your intervention, we would all be hopelessly lost and damned to the penalty we deserve. Forgive us for taking Your kindness for granted. Help us to walk in love towards all the people around us. Help us to maintain the unity of peace that love affords. We give You all the glory. Amen.
Owe nothing to anyone except to love and seek the best for one another; for he who [unselfishly] loves his neighbor has fulfilled the [essence of the] law [relating to one’s fellowman]. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor [it never hurts anyone]. Therefore [unselfish] love is the fulfillment of the Law.
Romans 13:8-10 AMP