Tuesday, 16 May 2017
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:14
In the previous two verses, Paul has given a list of things which the believer is exhorted to do in order to be sound, well rounded Christians who accurately reflect the characteristics and traits of Christ. Now he places those things under one larger umbrella by stating, “But above all.” The words here give the idea of a garment which covers everything else and encloses it. Over all of the things he has said, we are to “put on love.” Love is the external, covering garment of all of the other things we are to wear (or “put on” as he said in verse 12).
The reason for covering all of the other exhortations with love is because it is, as he says, “the bond of perfection.” Love is what ties together all of the other virtues he has mentioned. The word translated as “perfection” carries the idea of a collective which results from a combination of other things. When kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, and the other virtues which Paul exhorts us to possess are tied together with love, then a perfection of the whole is the result.
Life application: If someone is kind to another person, but is kind in an unloving way, the kindness of the deed is lost. The same is true with any such otherwise noble trait. When love is lacking, there is a deficiency in it. Let us remember to be loving in all we do, letting it surround us as a garment of perfection.
Lord God, You word asks us to clothe ourselves as if in a garment of love. In doing this, then all of the other things we do will be done well. If we do a kind deed without love, then what we have done will be quickly forgotten. But when we are kind with a loving attitude attached to the deed, it will be received for what it truly is. When You sent Christ Jesus into the world, He came with a garment of love which surrounded Him. Help us to emulate our Lord, and help us to be pleasing to You in this manner. Amen.