Over all other virtues, put on love

Paul is listing all the virtues that characterizes grateful, Christian living in Colossians 3. 

Colossians 3 : 12 - 14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

It is important to note that we must “over all” put on love, which binds all the Christian virtues together. This is our response to being God’s chosen people, sanctified by the Lord and dearly loved by him.  For these, and all our privileges received by the grace of God, we ought to live lives filled with thankfulness. In verse 17 Paul says:  “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

We express our gratitude over all, by putting on love!

What is love?   According to 1 Cor 13, love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (Verses 4 – 7)

God is love and his relationship with us shows his daily passionate love for his chosen people, his holy and dearly loved children. We are to echo to a world that needs to put to death its selfishness, greed and anger, the love of God.  We need to put on love to become the grateful followers of our God who gave his best to us, even Jesus Christ, his Son.

When we make God known through living in daily thankfulness to the Lord for all our blessings and privileges, we will clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

We will bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another.

We will forgive as the Lord forgave us.