Becoming Like JesusSample

Discovering Your Why

A couple of years ago, I trained to run a marathon. Some mornings I would wake to “feels like -3 degree weather” and cringe as I headed out the door for a long run. On those mornings, I desperately wanted to crawl back into the warmth of my bed, but I chose to follow my training plan because I knew why I was doing it.

This week, as we continue to walk through Colossians 3:10, 12-14, we will discover why we should strive to reflect Jesus.

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves…” Colossians 3:12

From the beginning of today’s Scripture, by using the word “since,” we see that Paul is giving us our why, which is that God chose us to be the holy people he loves.

Here we see that the crux of our why is the very essence of the gospel. While we were still sinners, God chose us to be His. He plucked us from the path of darkness that we were all on, forgiving us, saving us, and giving us hope.

When God chose us, not only did we receive the benefits of being His children, but we also received the responsibility. The passage tells us that God chose us “to be the holy people he loves.” To be holy means to be set apart by and for God. We have been chosen and given a purpose to be His ambassadors on this earth. As ambassadors, not only are we to execute God’s mission, but we are to have His character. That is why Paul goes on to say, “you must clothe yourselves…” It is not optional to bear Christ’s character. Nor is it easy. Clothing ourselves with the nature of Christ isn’t a one-time occurrence. We face countless opportunities every day to either clothe ourselves with Christ’s character or fall back into who we used to be. And that is why we must remember our why. Knowing what God has done for us and who we are because of his sacrifice gives us the motivation to stand firm, through His power, and make the moment-by-moment decisions to live like Jesus.

Today, as we reflect on this passage, I pray that the Lord gives us a deep understanding and abounding gratitude for what the gospel means to us personally.