Week 3: Interceding for Zion’s Rebuilding Project
Key Verse: Colossians 3:12, 1712 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Uniforms have the ability to make you stand out from a crowd and communicate certain identifiers about you. Which school you are from. What your occupation is. What rank you hold in the organisation.
Paul urges the Colossians to put on the uniform that will distinguish them as “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” Through compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love we tell others we belong to Jesus.
Uniforms also indicate that we are not just an individual but part of a larger group. Believers are not lone rangers but are members of one body – the body of Christ. The peace of Christ, which is to rule in our hearts, differentiates us from the rest. (Col. 3:15)
Uniforms reminds us that our words and actions are not personal but also have bearing on the organisation we represent. Putting on our Christian wear means that all that we say or do are all done in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Our Christian clothing cannot be ordered online or purchased with money. Bought by Jesus’ blood and fashioned supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, we identify ourselves as His children through the way we live our lives. And our response to God’s lavish grace is to be thankful (Col. 3:15), have gratitude in our hearts (Col. 3:16), and give thanks! (Col. 3:17)
- Reflect back to when you first came to Christ. Thank God for how He has changed you to be more Christ-like, for placing you in the family of believers, and for choosing you to be His representative to the world.
- Ask God to clothe Zion with His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. Beyond just having a new church building, may these qualities be what identify us as His followers.