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WHAT DOES IT SAY:

12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 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.”

OBSERVATIONS:
- Where we start from: we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly beloved. That is our identity.

- Clothing yourselves with these character traits is a daily, intentional practice

- Forgiveness practices: it’s NOT sweeping things under the rug. It’s going to the person and explaining the hurt. It’s countercultural, it’s not in our nature outside of Christ. The new nature that we are able to put on enables us to practice forgiveness.

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

- Forgiveness is a regular practice. Most pastor letters like Colossians are addressing human problems and conflict.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Forgiveness isn’t a feeling. It’s a foundation from which we build on repair and reconciliation.

“Let the Word of God dwell in you richly.” - It’s hard to hold on to hurt if you’re praying for a person, praying for their heart, their hurt, their healing.

This starts with identity, then moves into practice. We can’t give what we don’t have. We receive forgiveness, and then can forgive

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

- If you can’t clothe yourselves with these things, it’s probably because you’re in a place of unforgiveness. And if you CAN clothe yourselves in these things toward the person you have a grievance with, the way you engage in a spirit of forgiveness comes out in a place of love for them.

- We’re calling it forgiveness, but are we trying to get polite vengeance or justice? That’s a self-focused perspective. But if we have put on the character traits of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience – those are others-focused traits.

- It really creates more resentment and pain in my life to cling to wounds. Our job is to communicate the wounds. How the other person responds is not our job, it’s not up to us. My movement toward Christlikeness is my duty.

- I know I have reached forgiveness when I desire goodwill toward the other party. Even if I’m no longer in their life, my heart is inclined toward their blessing.

- When we pray over the person who has wounded us, we take back our power.

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