Colossians 3:12a

Colossians 3:12a

Therefore put on – as chosen ones both holy and having been loved …

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love the fact that Paul uses a circumstantial participle to modify the “putting on.”  Paul says, “having been loved.”  As we put on the nature of a follower of God, we must remember that we can put it on because He first loved us.  Again we see that it began with God.  But there is more to it.  Paul uses a perfect passive participle.  We are just loved now.  We weren’t just loved when Jesus died on the cross.  We were loved in the past, we are loved now, and we can assume that we will be loved in the future!  We were loved in the past and the effects of that love continue to exist now and we can anticipate that they will continue to exist in the future.  What an incredible proclamation of faith in a single word in the Greek!

How do you live your life in a way that reflects the love God has for you?  How do you live your life in a way that is open to recognize the love that God has for you?

Second Thought:

Having dealt with the particle, let’s now turn to the nouns that Paul uses to talk about our status with the Father.  Chosen.  It is a powerful word.  God chose us.  God didn’t reject us.  God didn’t take the left-overs.  God chose us.  He picked us out.  Of all of creation, He chose us!  This word gives us such an incredible understanding of God’s desire to be in relationship with us.  This isn’t some accident, it is divinely designed!  We are chosen!  Of course, we aren’t just chosen to be in relationship with God.  We are chosen to carry that relationship out to the world.  Yes, we are chosen.  But we are chosen for a purpose.

What is your purpose for being chosen?  What is God calling you to do today?

Third Thought:

We also have the word “holy.”  Holy is not a word that means super-religious.  Holy is a word that by definition means separate.  To call someone holy means that they are separate from the world – different, even.  So Paul reminds us that we are holy.  We are different from the world around us.  We are separate from the world around us.  We are unusual.  I think this word holy is one of the sharpest double-edged words I have ever heard.  It is good to be holy.  It is good to be separate from the world and like God.  But it is also painful to realize how unlike the world around us that we are called to be, too.  I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it doesn’t mean that it is easy to be holy.

In what ways is it good to be holy?  When are you keenly aware of your holiness because it shows how different you are from the world in general around you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Colossians 3:12b-13