Colossians 3:12-14
Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Each one of the virtues mentioned in these verses expresses itself in our relationship with others. How we treat people is a significant mark of our life as a follower of Jesus. Remembering the forgiveness God gave us in Jesus is the basis for how and why we forgive others. Consider this: God made the first move to us in forgiveness, He forgave us while we were still sinners, He is slow to anger and bears with us for a very long time when we sin against Him, His forgiveness is complete, and He forgives knowing we will sin again. Lastly, as we clothe ourselves with the new nature, love is the outer layer that holds all the other virtues together.
Why do you think these instructional verses start with a reminder of who we are in Christ? Take a minute to thank God that your position, as holy and loved by Him, has nothing to do with your efforts. Who are the people in your life that He may be asking you to forgive, to love or to ‘make allowance for’? What action step do you need to take to follow through?