by Lacey MacRae
“…holy and beloved…”
Colossians 3:12-13 says, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
I wonder how much easier and more natural it would be to live out these verses if we were to truly grasp that little phrase, “…holy and beloved….” If we took the time to really ponder what that means—we are holy and beloved in the sight of God—living out verses 12 and 13 might come a little more naturally for us.
Such amazing grace, tender mercy, and unmerited favor I am given that God would call me “…holy….” To be clear, that is CHRIST’s holiness imputed to my account! In addition, what an unfathomable kindness that He would call me “…beloved…”
These two verses call for a significantly high standard of living towards those around us:
-mercy
-kindness
-humility
-meekness
-longsuffering
-forbearance
-forgiveness
In summary, this is all Christlikeness!
The list above can look daunting, and it seems like I fail in those areas much more often than I succeed. Sometimes, if I am honest, the people around me make it really hard to live this way. Therein lies the problem. Verses 23 through 24 correct my motives and reset my focus by reminding me that Jesus is the only One truly worthy of my striving to live out verses 12 and 13.
Colossians 3:23-24 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
We are often tempted to say or think things such as, “But you don’t know what they did to me,” or “If you knew what they are like…” Sadly, we are missing the whole point of the lesson of these verses.
The way I treat those around me should not depend on THEIR worthiness, but on HIS!
If God, Who is Holy, Righteous, and Supreme, calls us who are wicked, sinful, and inferior, “…holy and beloved…,” surely we could, for HIS sake and in response to HIS kindness toward us, learn to treat those who are just like us in the way He treats us who are so unlike Him!