Journal Entry ~ 09/29/18

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with 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

As if this verse hasn’t been convicting enough, we are also instructed to put on an attitude of humility and patience as God's chosen people. 

Humility is another word who's connotation has gotten taken over by the world. The world would have us think that humility is putting ourselves down or thinking less of ourselves. But that definition is still very "me" focused. When we are humble, we think of ourselves less and others more. Being humble means placing others in a position of authority over ourselves. When we've been slighted or overlooked, when we're being taken for granted, when we're misunderstood, a loving response would be to humbly let it go. We are humbled when we recognize the only reason we're upset is because we think we're more important than we really are. 

Our flesh will rise up constantly and tell us our views are right, that our opinions are best, and that our judgment is correct, but humbling ourselves means we are constantly fighting against this and pushing down those self-rising attitudes. Demonstrating humility is one of the most loving attitudes because it puts the needs and feelings of others over our own. 

Patience is another way we love others, yet something so many of us struggle to do. Patience is accepting a delay or suffering without getting angry or upset. Again, in a busy world of immediate gratification, patience is an attribute that can get pushed aside. Patiently loving people means allowing them to move at their own pace - whether is getting out the door or getting their life on track, whether it is trusting God is moving in His timing in a trial or in His timing in a person, patience involved waiting. 

I don't wait well. I like things to move at my pace. But when I am pressing my agenda on others in my life, I am not loving others as God calls me to do. It all comes down to this: if I ultimately want what God wants - for Him to rescue the people in my life - then I need to love them as He loves them. And if I am going to love them well, I need to put on a compassionate heart, I need to be kind, meek, humble, and patient. None of those attributes come easily or naturally - they all only come from the Holy Spirit moving in my heart. And if I am going to love as God loves, I need to allow the Holy Spirit to do the transforming work on my heart that He needs to do. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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