Above all put on Love

  Above all put on love

In the book of Colossians we read,

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14.

As Christians we are asked to clothe ourselves with...

Kindness

Humility,

Gentleness

Patience.

We are to forgive whatever grievances we my have against one another.

We are to forgive as the Lord forgave us.

And above all we are to put on love.

When you look at your life or when others look at your life do you and they see these attributes in your life.

You are my God

 You are my God

The Psalmist writes,

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks;

 you are my God, and I will exalt you. 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his love endures forever.” 

                                                         Psalm 118:28,29

If you claim to be a Christian you in all sincerity do what the Psalmist is saying here?

Do you truly believe all that is said here?

Please think about it.

Correctly handling Gods word

 Correctly handling Gods Word

Jesus said,

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  

Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:15-23

We as Christians need to take a good look at the pastors evangelist and Christian teachers we follow. We need to check if they are handling the scriptures correctly. We need to not just read the Bible but study it as well. We need to take time to pray and listen to what God is saying to us through the scriptures.

Many false preachers will quote, 

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2

That is true when we are looking at those outside the church and judging where they are going to spend eternity.

The apostle Paul however writes,

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1Corinthians 5:12,13.

Sadly many false teachers, preachers and evangelist hide behind twisted words. They say what they feel will make there listeners feel good. Words that are not correctly interpreted scripture. Words that are often meant to mislead people or enrich their own pockets.

Now within Christianity there are some minor differences in interpreting scripture and there is nothing wrong with that. 

The problem come when the false teachers say things that are far from what the Bible teaches. It is such teachers that need to be expelled from the church. 

 The apostle Paul states,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

Question: Are you handling the word of God correctly?

Please think about it.

The need for Christ

  The need for Christ

The apostle Paul wrote

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4

Perhaps its because we are in an information age and we see more things happening because of it. But I think not. I believe our society is degrading. People are becoming lovers of self. And have been doing so for many years.

Sadly in 2026 there are many calling themselves Christians who have twisted the words of the Bible to suite their own philosophy or to enrich themselves. 

While going through my wife’s books. My wife being the ultimate book worm. I found a book called the essentials in Christian Faith by John B. Harrington. The book could have been written yesterday so relevant is its message. Yet it was written in 1958.

Harrington quotes Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948 he writes,

"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.'"

Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 

Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."

What Gallico is speaking about is what the apostle Paul predicted. And the solution to the problem. The only solution is the love of Christ Jesus.

Jesus said,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

True Christianity is built on love. Jesus when asked,

 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.

Jesus also said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12.

If you consider yourself a Christian are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Christ's Ambassadors

 Christ’s Ambassadors

Paul also wrote,

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2Corinthians5:18-20.

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus then we as the apostle Paul put it, are Christs ambassadors. Through us God is making his appeal to the world around us.

Ambassadors represent the country from which they come. We therefor according to the apostle Paul are ambassadors for Christ in this world. Thus we have an obligation to represent Christ in the best possible light.

We cannot appeal to those around us if we are judging them. That is not our job. Jesus said,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

The apostle Paul wrote,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

We have no right to judge those outside our faith. It is our job to follow the command of Jesus who said,

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Be quick Be slow

 Be quick Be slow

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. 

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

James 1:19-27

Here’s the point form version of what James is saying,

1/Be quick to listen to the word of God.

2/Be slow to speak. Think before you speak.

3/Be very slow to anger. Don’t sweat the little things. Think before you get angry. Ask yourself is it worth getting angry. 

4/Get rid of the moral filth and evil in you life.

5/Listen to the word of God planted in your life.

6/Don’t just listen to the word of God, DO WHAT IT SAYS.

James states a man who fails to do what the word of God says is like someone who forgets what his reflection looks like in other words he has heard the word but learned nothing.

There are many people in churches who can quote chapter and verse in many things but fail to put the lessons of the Bible to work in their life. Thus the world is essentially null and void.

He admonishes us to keep a rein on one’s tongue. Our tongue can get us in a lot of trouble. Many good ministers and evangelist have had their ministries ruined by what they have said.

Finally he says,

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Think about it 

Your Prayer

 Your Prayer

“This, then, is how you should pray:" 

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our debts,

 as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation,

 but deliver us from the evil one.’  

                                                                         Matthew  6:9-13

Do you Pray?

We should.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel said of prayer,

“To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments.  Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living..” Rabbi Abraham Heschel

As Christians we have the right to pray to God himself. The creator of the Universe.

I think all too often Christians don’t pray right or enough. 

We rattle off some prayer that says God help me, or God I need, or even a quick God thank you and leave it there. 

Our prayers should not always be God I need this, or God help me. Which is fine to do. If we need God’s help and provision. But we need to take time also to pray and thank God for all he’s done for us.

We need as the Apostle Paul writes, 

“pray continually;” 

                                1 Thessalonians5:17.

Question:

How is your prayer life? Do think you take enough time each day to pray to God?

Please think about it.