12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:12-17 – New Living Translation)
Jesus Christ brings love to us and love brings peace and harmony. As the body of Christ, we are called to love and live in peace and harmony. We can live in peace and harmony only if we live out the message of Christ as a representative of His love. God gives us many opportunities to love. He does not only give us opportunities, he also gives us the capacity to love. He clothes us with Christ-like character, such as mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We have these Christ-like characters inside us, but the may not be reflected in our actions all the time. Sometimes, our self-centeredness may override these Christ-like characters and we may do something that is unloving. We have to be aware of our self-centeredness and not allowing it to limit our ability to love.
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony…For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
