Beyond All These Things

Paul told the Colossians to "beyond all these things, put on love." The question arises, what are "these things"? What are the things that must be "put on" before I can "put on" love? Obviously they must be highly significant character traits if they are the necessary foundations for clothing ourselves in love. And the ability to put on those things that lead to love is based on our understanding that there are no distinctions in the family of God, no distinctions between those who are in Christ and who have Christ in them. There are no national distinctions, no ritual distinctions, no intellectual distinctions, no societal distinctions. We are all equals in Christ. Each of us as necessary as the other, each as vital as the other, each as loved as the other. Christ is all and in all.
What then are the foundations of love? The first is compassion. Compassion is the ability to automatically be moved by the needs of others without any regard for the character, circumstances, or choices that produced the need. Compassion, without the slightest hesitation, places one's own needs in the background and focuses on how to meet the need of the other.
The second foundation for love is kindness. Kindness never seeks to repay evil with evil. Kindness always thinks in terms of what is the best thing I can do for that person at this time. Kindness needs no reason or excuse to be kind. Kindness is not a "pay back" for an act of kindness done to you. It stands alone without any thought of "payment."
The third foundation is humility. Humility is the ability to readily, joyfully, pour oneself out for others. It is the spontaneous desire to serve others, to be the least in the kingdom of God. It is the determination to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to meet the need of another. Humility is the positive response to God's call to His servants to lay down their lives for Him by laying down their lives for others.
The fourth foundation is gentleness. Gentleness is the desire to stoop down and lift up another, the desire to come along side of one who is in pain and sorrow and say, "lean on me." Gentleness is ever attentive to the cry of the one of the one hundred who has wandered away. Gentleness thrives on restoration.
The fifth foundation is patience. Patience never watches the clock. Patience is never in a hurry and trusts the timing of God. Patience is the ability to love someone where one finds him. Patience endures. Whatever someone does or does not do in response to love affects patience not in the least. Patience waits without ever changing its character.
The last foundation is forgiveness. Forgiveness is the ability to respond to the actions of others as Christ responded, and responds, to our actions. Forgiveness sees the actions of others as paid for by the blood of Christ. Forgiveness sees every hurt as already dearly and lovingly paid for.
Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. All these must be "put on," worn in such a way that all can see them active in our lives, if we are going to be able to "put on" love. If any of these are missing from our daily lives, we have not yet learned love. Perhaps we have not yet accepted the truth that every believer is just as important to God and just as much God's beloved child as we are. The second commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself," is just the first commandment put in practical, everyday, demonstrable language. We must put on love.