Colossians 3:12-14 Jordan & Jade Kingsley Wedding

Colossians 3:12–14 (NIV)

Jade and Jordan, you’re all dressed up for your wedding: awesome dress and distinguished suit – and Connor’s dressed to match! In the NT book of Colossians, God’s word tells us about dressing up to live together as believers:

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

On Easter, we celebrated how your family is part of God’s chosen people: “holy and dearly loved.” It’s a great transformation; an identity in Jesus that all believers share.

Judge your own success, but on my own, I’m not 100% holy in God’s sight. God holds us accountable for our thoughts and actions. Disobedience leads us away from God and pushes other people away. Being away from God is death.

But … God shows how dearly he loves the world by coming into his creation. By his death on the cross, Jesus covers our wrongdoing. In his resurrection, Jesus makes us alive and makes us holy.

The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts described in this Bible passage. God the HS helps us dress up in Jesus’ goodness so that we look like Jesus and so our households are beautiful places to live.

Did you catch the things you’re supposed to dress up in?

The Bible says:

· Clothe yourselves with compassion-feeling other’s feelings

· Kindness – considerate, generous, affectionate

· Humility – not needing attention but putting others first

· gentleness – not harsh or mean

· and patience– letting others go their own pace.

Then there’s a belt that binds them all together: love.

Love is not just an emotion. It’s a choice. Elsewhere in the NT, the Bible gives an awesome description of love.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts,

always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (I Cor. 13:4-8a).

When you match that kind of love with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, you’re dressed for success in your life together.