Tag: Colossians 3:12-14

Renew Your Walk with God This Spring: Put on the Humility of Jesus

Jeannie Waters34 Comments on Renew Your Walk with God This Spring: Put on the Humility of Jesus

When my youngest brother was five, he changed clothes often because he wanted to look like my dad. He’d watch Daddy enter a room, then he’d dart toward his own closet to find a way to match his hero.

If Daddy changed into khaki pants after work to tend his garden, Carson would toss his clothes down the laundry chute, change into khaki pants, and follow my dad outside. He didn’t even care about losing playtime.

Scripture instructs us to “put on” the same characteristics Jesus exemplified so that we look and sound like our heavenly Father.

Today we’ll look at a different part of the passage we considered last time as we endeavor to renew our hearts by imitating our Lord. In the last post, we focused on kindness and compassion.  LINK: Renew Your Walk with God: A New Heart for Spring

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12 ESV

This time we’ll consider humility.

Jesus, the perfect example of humility, conformed Himself to a virgin’s womb and came to live among men in human form. During His ministry, He stooped down to wash the feet of His disciples as an example of humble service (John 13:1-14).

Finally, with meekness and humility, Jesus submitted Himself to rejection and the extreme suffering of crucifixion because of His love for us. He even asked God to forgive His tormentors.

Although Paul listed his own impressive religious credentials, he too exemplified humility by suffering willingly for the cause of Christ (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul’s attitude led him to say,

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Philippians 2:17

Like me, you’ve probably observed people you deem humble. Joe, an associate pastor at our former church, wore suits on Sunday, taught Sunday school, and prayed during the service. At other times, I observed him wearing casual clothes while he packed the bus for youth trips, played ball with children on Wednesday nights, and even mopped the fellowship hall floor after a family event.

He could have avoided those mundane activities and assigned them to others. Instead, he exemplified a Christlike spirit and served God and his church. I often thought if Jesus visited our church in the flesh, He might be found working alongside Joe.

The garment of humility may feel stiff when we attempt to slip it on in some situations. Here are questions to help us check the fit:

  • Do I listen more than I speak?
  • Do I fight my way to the top of conversations?
  • Do I enjoy being right when I’m around certain people?
  • Do I avoid tasks I think are fine for others but not for me?
  • Does my humility lead to expressions of gentleness, goodness, and patience?
  • Do I appear humble in word and deed but reserve room for pride in my heart?

When our garment of humility needs alterations, we can confess our sin and ask God to transform our hearts to match His. The freshness of His Spirit will fill our souls with joy as we renew our walk with Him this spring. 

When our garment of humility needs alterations, we can confess our sin and ask God to transform our hearts to match His. The freshness of His Spirit will fill our souls with joy as we renew our walk with Him this spring. Share on X
Perhaps each morning we can glance into the mirror of Colossians 3:12-14* to ensure we act, look, and sound like our heavenly Father. That glimpse may send us to our closet (our prayer closet) to seek God’s help in putting on characteristics that match His.

Won’t you add a comment about examples of humility you’ve observed or something you’ve learned about this characteristic of Jesus?  

_____________________________________________

*Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. –Colossians 3:12-14 ESV

Renew Your Walk with God: A New Heart for Spring

Jeannie Waters16 Comments on Renew Your Walk with God: A New Heart for Spring
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Blog post series:

On March 16, I began a new series about renewing our walk with God as He renews the earth in the spring.

Here’s a link to the first in the series: Renew Your Walk with God This Spring

In it I suggested we start a new journal or notebook to log:

(1) our physical walks and (2) the characteristics of Jesus we notice as we read the Bible.  

Slip on your comfortable shoes and join me on our ongoing path. We will consider ways to renew our walk with God this spring by prayer, study, and imitating God.  

Part Two:

As we “walk” notice the way God dresses the trees with bright green leaves. They dance in the breeze and seem to shout, “We’re alive. Welcome to spring.”  

Don’t you love the way God transforms winter’s drab grays and browns with brushstrokes of freshness and new life? Call the vibrant colors lime, chartreuse, spring green, neon green, or any other name on the color spectrum between blue and yellow.

The new shades represent vitality, excitement, and the beginning of a new season. Some of the greens even have a dash of cheery yellow. If we ever needed God’s cheer and freshness, my friend, it’s this year following the doldrums of a COVID winter.

Maybe you’ll identify with the observations of Carrie, a park ranger at the Catoctin Mountain Park in northern Maryland as she described spring outings:

It’s that sense of escape, like animals coming out of hibernation. We as humans are escaping the cabin fever, we’re wanting to get out on the trails and really discover the changes. 1

How about you? Perhaps the hibernation of COVID clouded your heart with discouragement, frustration, and preoccupation with the fear of illness or social distancing.

Or maybe you remained positive but long for the freedom of spring and increased closeness to the Lord.   

Let’s leave winter behind and explore the beautiful new greens that bedazzle our view while we ask God to examine our hearts. If we belong to Him, He can dress our hearts in the fashion of new life in Christ.

First, a little about those light green spring colors …

Editor Catherine Meyers of insidescience.org shares the way scientists explain the shades of early spring:

Young leaflets’ chloroplasts — the part of the plant that contains the green pigment chlorophyll — are still developing, so the leaves tend to be lighter. 2

Chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight plants need to manufacture energy for growth. Likewise, our spiritual lives require light–God’s light–which shines into our hearts as we pray. When we study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit teaches us more about our walk with Christ.

We simply cannot manufacture renewal with our own energy sources. God is responsible for heart changes.

It is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13 NASB

That’s freeing. I cannot change my own heart, but I’m responsible for studying the Bible, praying for transformation (Romans 12:2), and imitating Him.  

Let’s begin our spring study with verse 12 of this passage:

Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 NASB

When spring arrives, the trees “put on” their new green foliage. At the same time, we replace heavy jackets, turtlenecks, and dark colors with light-weight sweaters, short-sleeved shirts, and pastels.

In Colossians, Paul wrote the imperative statement, “Put on.” Christians are to “dress themselves” in the qualities Jesus demonstrated rather than in sinful attitudes.

Imagine reaching into your closet and trying on a garment labeled “compassion,” or “kindness.” What would they look like? How would they fit?

The life of Jesus provides examples.  

Jesus demonstrated compassion by His kind actions.

He felt pity, care, and concern for people in need. He healed a leper, gave sight to the blind, and fed hungry people. His heart filled with compassion for sinful man (Matthew 9:35-36, Luke 19:41-42) and He preached good news (Luke 4:43). He even spent time with Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector. Jesus told him, “Hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5).

Jesus put compassion into action by reaching out to others with acts of kindness. Maybe we could define kindness as “compassion in action.”

Jesus put compassion into action by reaching out to others with acts of kindness. Maybe we could define compassion as love in action. Share on X
After asking God to renew our hearts and dress them with compassion and kindness, how can we show the compassion and kindness of Jesus to others? Here are some suggestions.

Showing Compassion and Kindness This Spring

For neighbors or friends who may be unable to complete required home maintenance:
  •                  Offer to clean a flower bed for an elderly neighbor, and then refill it with straw.
  •                  Create an attractive gift certificate “good for” three hours of outdoor work.
  •                  Clean porch or deck furniture and offer to pressure wash if you’re able.
  •                  Plant flowers in deck or porch containers.
  •                  Enlist a teenager or college student to help you.  
For elderly friends and church members (Consider COVID protocols.):
  •                   Take someone for a ride around town to see spring’s beauty.
  •                   Call to schedule a patio visit with someone in a healthcare facility.
  •                   Offer to conduct a devotional at a facility.
  •                   Call those who are elderly or incapacitated and offer to run errands.
For new neighbors or graduating seniors:
  •                 Create a special greeting card and share a favorite family dessert.
  •                 Plan a socially distanced cookout or lemonade and cookie snack.
  •                 Share publications from your church and links for online services.

What are additional ways we could show compassion and kindness as Jesus did? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Next time, we’ll consider more of this passage as we seek to imitate Christ.

 An excellent resource for renewing your walk with God:

If you’re looking for a devotional book to accompany your spring walk with God, consider Refresh Your Faith: Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible by Lori Hatcher. It’s one of my favorites.

Here’s a link: Refresh Your Faith  

  

 

1 Meyers, Catherine, editor. “Spring Green: Why Do New Leaves Have a Lighter Color?” American Institute of Physics, accessed April 7, 2021, https://www.insidescience.org/news/spring-green-why-do-new-leaves-have-lighter-color

2 Ibid

Is Your Heart Dressed for Easter?

Jeannie Waters10 Comments on Is Your Heart Dressed for Easter?

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Easter Memories

During my eighth year, Easter came early with its chilly temps, but I insisted on wearing my new sleeveless dress to Sunday School. My mom purchased a soft white sweater with tiny pearl buttons to make that feasible. Accessories completed the ensemble–white gloves, a flowery headband, white ruffled socks, white patent leather shoes, and a purse shaped like a closed parasol. Dressed in my Easter finery, I posed for pictures and felt ready for the holiday.

Dressing Up

Fashions have changed since that childhood Easter experience, but there are still occasions when we expend extra time and effort to look our best. There are places that require a certain dress code, and occasionally, it’s just fun to dress up.

Although paying attention to our outward appearance is necessary, the Bible teaches that God is more concerned with our hearts than our outward appearance.

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

                                                                                                                                        –1 Samuel 16:7b ESV

Dressing the Heart

What should the condition of our heart be this Easter? How can we “dress” our heart to honor the Lord?  In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul addresses Christians when he writes,

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:12-14 ESV

Have you ever tried to “put on” some of these qualities by your own determination? I have, and at best, I’d last a day or two attempting to be more patient and more forgiving, for example. When my energy or awareness of my attitude waned, I was back to square one, repenting and trying again. Human strength falters in the character renovation process.

Once a person becomes a Christ follower, God makes that person more like Him. He does the changing as we yield to His work in our lives. Our part is to seek and obey Him.

What is the encouraging message in this post? We don’t need fancy clothes or even perfect behavior to please God. Once we’ve accepted Him as Savior, He transforms us and teaches us so that we can “put off” old behavior and “put on” the qualities listed above. Our hearts will be “dressed” for Easter and every day.

Is Your Heart Dressed for Easter? Share on X

A Message from My Heart

If you have never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, turning from your ways and accepting His, I would urge you to do so. After attending church all my life, during my senior year in high school, I realized I knew about God but did not know Him personally.

I asked God to forgive me for my sin, turned from my sinful ways, and accepted what He did on Calvary to pay for my sin. Then, I asked Him to come into my heart to be my Savior and Lord. That’s when I became a Christian, a person with Jesus Christ living inside. (If you want to know more, read: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 4:12, John 3:16, and John 14:6.)

Now, I have not only the promise of eternal life in heaven but also the joy of walking with Him each day, accepting His wisdom, love, peace, and the abundant life He promised. Besides these blessings, I’m grateful that He’s teaching me to “put on” Christ-like characteristics on Easter and every other day.

Please share your greatest joy in knowing Christ.

Have an Easter full of celebration and joy!