14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
The Christian qualities in verse 12 begin with compassion and are expanded upon in verse 14. Compassion reminds me of helping the needy and the less fortunate. Love is expanded to bind believers into unity. There is a greater commitment to unity than just helping one another. Unity comes with a commitment to relationships even when we know that there are disagreements and challenges. Love for Christ helps us identifying the more important things on which we agree and decide lesser things can be overlooked or endured. Love is the essential ingredient.
In the Roman world life was cruel cheap. Entertainment wasn't going to the movies or watching TV. They would gather at the coliseums and watch people kill each other -not actors with laser guns that are playing make believe. They would cheer when a hungry lion viciously attacked men, women, and children. They would laugh when someone running from a spear was cut in two. The simple minded were considered less than human. Slaves and women were abused and beaten regularly. Then Christ enters into some lives.
Christianity has changed our world. Kindness, motivated by believers, has started hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, food lines, treatment for the insane, and clothing for those without. Christians made prisons more humane and stopped slavery.
The attitude that God has for us needs to be passed on to others.
There are attitudes that we as Christian need to work on. Why? Because God chose us, loved us, and set us apart to be holy people in an unholy world. The clothes of love and compassion draw attention to God and others. They are recipients of godly love.
As we focus on Christ’s love we move on from our desires to the needs of others. It is not accepting sin, but the sinner, as Jesus did.
I John 3:18-19 says “My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action. This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God’s presence.”
Frequently in the wedding service there is the ceremony of the lighting the unity candle by the bride and groom. Symbolically the two candles represent them as individuals, until they take their candles together and light the center one, symbolizing unity.
At a recent wedding, the bride and groom put the individual candles back into their holders with the flames burning. Then the bride, with an impish gleam in her eye, bent over and blew out her husband’s candle. The congregation burst into laughter.
I wonder how many of us seek unity by blowing out the candle of the other and protect their own?
Application: Be intentional about Your walk with Christ. "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Prayer: Lord, as I come to You in Prayer and look to Your Word, clothe me in Your Righteousness that I might display Your love to those You put in my path.
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