A NEW DRESS CODE
What is the proper dress code for Christmas and the days following Christmas? In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul gives us a new dress code of seven garments to wear everyday. These garments never go out of style!
- Put on COMPASSION. (v.12) When Jesus saw a crowd, He looked on them with compassion. Compassion comes from two words: com and passion, meaning “with passion.” But remember that Thomas Aquinas said, “I’d rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it.”
- Put on KINDNESS. (v.12) Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life. Albert Schweitzer said that “constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” A little boy said that Christianity “helps make bad people good, and makes good people kind.” Mark Twain said, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
- Put on HUMILITY. (v.12) Insecure people demand special recognition. A secure person is one whose life exhibits humility. When we learn to walk the road of humility, we are not bothered by heavy traffic. A friend said, “Humility is like underwear – it should always be worn but never show.”
- Put on GENTLENESS. (v.12) In our modern-day society, gentleness is almost a lost commodity. God is gentle with us, and gentleness should never suggest weakness or impotence. It was used to describe powerful war horses who have been skillfully trained to instantly obey their masters. It‘s a word which suggests power under complete control.
- Put on PATIENCE. (v.12) A Sunday school teacher asked her class of young girls to define patience. One little girl raised her hand and said, “Patience is when you’re sitting in church and the preacher is preaching – you’re just sitting there and he is preaching. He keeps preaching and you keep sitting there. That’s patience!” Someone said that “Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you, but not in the driver ahead of you.” Practice patience 24/7!
- Put on FORGIVENESS. (v.13) The Mayo Clinic reports “when someone you care about hurts you, you can hold onto anger, resentment, and thoughts of revenge – or embrace forgiveness and move forward.” If we refuse to forgive, it causes us to become depressed, live in the past, bring anger and bitterness into every new relationship, and lose purpose in life. Forgiveness helps make our mistakes not turn into wounds that run and fester but scars that have no pain.
- Put on LOVE. My good friend, Dr. David Thrasher, who is a pulmonologist on the frontline treating Covid-19 patients, said that he was asked by medical students what was the best medicine he had ever seen. He replied, “love.” They laughed and then asked, “What if that doesn’t work?” Dr. Thrasher said, “increase the dose.” It’s time to increase the dose! ML King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness – only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate – only love can do that.”
Join the new dress code trend! What would the world look like if everybody dressed exactly like you?
P.S. The Frazer TV Ministry, Drama Ministry, and John Ed presented a Christmas sermon highlighting each of the characters at the manger scene. It was recorded at his last Christmas sermon at Frazer in 2007. You can access this video from our YouTube channel for your personal use and/or family devotional during Christmas by clicking the following link: “The Living Characters of Christmas.”
