Lord, Help My Critical Heartنموونە

Chosen, Holy, Beloved

As children of God, we are called to love as He loves. We must break away from the broken examples of family and friendships that we’ve seen modeled in the world, in our family of origin, at school, or on our favorite “Real Housewives” franchise. 

As His beloved sons and daughters, we have been welcomed into a new way of life in His family; the way of God’s generous, selfless, unconditional love. We are called to “put on” the new way of living that is fitting for His children. 

 Looking at the list in Colossians, which attributes feel totally foreign to you? In this scripture, we are called God’s chosen, and his beloved. We are called holy. We aren’t holy in our actions, but if you have put your faith in Christ, you have been made right with God and begun a process of sanctification that will continue until you see Him face to face.

I have heard Romans 12:9 described as the only competitive verse in the Bible: “Outdo one another in showing honor.” This is foreign to our human nature. But in Christ, it is our new nature. It may feel weird, especially if you haven’t seen honor modeled well. This is a great place to experiment with the “apples of gold” we read about yesterday. Ask God for opportunities to show honor to others, then take them when they come. 

Surrender Step: When you read the list of traits listed in Colossians 3:12, which ones feel most natural to you? Which do you feel really stretched by? Ask God for His help to grow in the most difficult trait listed: Compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, patience.