As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col. 3:12
Heavenly Father, there’s so much good news crammed into this passage. Thank you for being tenaciously kind, steadfastly gentle, and relentlessly patient with us. The Gospel is the best thing we have going for us as 2021 begins. We are dearly loved because you have deeply hidden our lives in Christ. Hallelujah!
No matter what the next 12 months hold, we will look to our union with Jesus for our peace, joy, and hope—also as the power for change. Your kindness towards us in Jesus leads us to repent of the ways we love poorly—in thought, word, and deed.
We repent of over-believing our fears and under-believing the Gospel in 2020. We repent of indulging too much gossip, rancor, and slander last year. Though our culture is getting more cynical and critical, that’s not who we want to be. More to the point, it grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit.
More than a resolution, but as our calling, we want to major in kindheartedness and encouragement in 2021. May our healing words exponentially outnumber our harsh ones. May we even become fluent in body-language-grace.
So, Father, as we reach for the garments of grace in the closet of the Gospel today— “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience,” empower us to live and love to your glory. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and loving name.
