The Power of God is shown through Love

(Colossians 3:12-14)

What is it that Christians are really called to do? What are we to become as we walk with Christ?

Quite simply we are to learn to love as Christ and God love us. We are to be transformed into their image for the power of God is shown through love.

These few verses I am looking at today give us some insight into the fact that the power of God is shown through love. So let us examine them critically and learn what it is that we are to become as we continue to walk in and with Jesus Christ.

The garments of God’s love

Let’s first take a look at the scriptures under review today.

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, 13 forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14)

The first verse tells us to “put on” these things, like a garment or covering. We ought to cover ourselves in the attributes of God’s love so that we are protected and we project His love to those around us.

Think of a warm coat on a winter day. How it protects you from the cold and the elements and keeps you warm and snug inside of it’s protection. You are able to function properly because the cold doesn’t affect you making you too chilly to even think straight let alone do anything.

This is what the love of God does for those who have put on His love. His love protects, fills and helps us to function. When we are surrounded by the love of God we are able to act in the manner that shows His love to others. And they will see that the power of God is shown through love.

Looking at the garments of the power of God’s love

The scripture goes on to show what these garments are that we should be clothed in. Some of these are the fruits of the Spirit. Others are clearly the attributes of God’s love that Jesus showed to people when He walked the earth.

The first two mentioned are particularly interesting: “holy and beloved.”

Those who walk in God’s love are holy and they are beloved by God. The Father said of the Son in His expression of love, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

In the same way in these verses God is revealing His love for us when we put on His love. He is saying we too shall be holy and beloved, just as He said of the Son. We become the children of God through love and by learning to love as He loves and living in His love.

As we continue reading the rest of these verses we see the other attributes of the garments of God’s love. The power of God is shown through love and these attributes are part of His love that will be developed in us as we grow in Christ.

These attributes were all shown by Christ: compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness.

All of these things were the hallmarks of the ministry of Jesus Christ and are the stamp of the nature of God’s love. These are the things that we need to cover ourselves with as we put on God’s love.

Just as Christ showed all of these facets of God’s love towards others, so too we must do the same. And then we shall experience that the power of God is shown through love.

The aim of God’s love is Harmony

Finally we see in these scriptures that the aim of the power of God’s love is to bring His people into harmony with one another.

When we have fully put on the love of God we can and will be in harmony with one another. There will be no bickering, back-biting, arguing, selfishness, deceit, greed, pride, or any other of the negative aspects of humanity. There will only be the love of God expressed as kindness, caring, compassion, and so on.

We will truly fulfil the law of love that instructs us saying, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” And we will know that the power of God is shown through love.

This is harmony when all things work together and all people work together for the good of all.

Musical harmony is the blending of different notes that work together to form chords that have a pleasing sound. Chords are powerful as the underpinnings for melodies and to set the background upon which music is built. They can work to lift and move people with both subtlety and intensity. They provide the canvas on which a musical artist “paints” a pleasing work.

Spiritual harmony does the same. It brings different people together whose lives, work, talents, abilities and so on, work together to create something bigger and better, pleasing to God in the process.

The power of God is shown through love, so seek to put on His love and so live harmoniously with others.

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