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Love Binds All Other Virtues Together

October 17, 2025
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Daily Scripture

Colossians 3:12-16

12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people. 16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Daily Reflection & Prayer

The letter writer, Paul, and his protégé Timothy composed this letter to the Colossians, probably from a prison cell in Rome. * Paul had not been to Colossae himself (cf. Colossians 2:1), but knew about the issues the church there faced. He wrote to encourage embracing the new life and identity that Christians were to put on as they followed Jesus’s example. He urged them to embody forgiveness, peacefulness, and thankfulness, even in tough situations.

  • Verse 14 noted that “love” is over all the other virtues and binds them as the common thread. Like Jesus, Paul set love as the standard with which all followers of Jesus should treat people. “There is an expected way to live that bears witness to the truth of the gospel within a person.” ** How can “over all these things put on love” make your daily decisions more straightforward (though not always easier to live out)?
  • Verses 15 and 16 identify gratitude as essential to this life of love. Pastor Hamilton wrote that worship and prayer center on recognizing “God’s love for us, God’s gifts to us” and responding with thanks. *** When have you noticed how gratitude helped you love more boldly or see a difficult situation through new eyes?”

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Help me love myself and others as boldly as you do. Amen.

GPS Insights

Picture of Darren Lippe

Darren Lippe

Darren Lippe, who serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader and Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insights. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.

As we consider today’s passage, I thought it might be helpful to “visit” with Mr. Leland Lowe, who, along with his wife, owns a local tailoring shop.

DL: Mr. Lowe, thank you for your time.

Mr. Lowe: Please. No need to be so formal. All of our clients just call my wife & I “Lee Lowe & Stitch.”

DL: I like the Disney movie reference. What is the tailoring business like?

Lee Lowe: It is typically sew-sew. Every once in a while we have some drama, like a client who ordered a custom jacket, vest, & pants & then refused to pay for them. Needless to say, a suit is pending.

DL: Today, I thought you might help us better visualize Paul’s charge to the Colossians.

Lee Lowe: Ah, yes. Actually, the Bible has lots of references to tailors & those who work to alter & mend garments. Who can forget the powerful verse in Galatians, “As you sew, so shall you rip” or Jesus’ persuasive “Parable of the Sewer”?

DL: Um, I’m don’t think those are really talking about tailors & seamstresses.

Lee Lowe:  Huh. Well, as we tailors like to say, “I’ll be darned.” Anyway, Paul is using our wardrobe to help his readers (& us) understand that God isn’t interested in the current fashion trends or cool “business casual” look, but rather in a timeless style that demonstrates a Christian’s heart:

  • We start with the shirt of Compassion. Since our shirt is closest to our heart, this is the essential starting point for our Christian ensemble.
  • Kindness is displayed on our sleeves as we reach out to help others or shake someone’s hand or give someone a gentle hug. A Christian should always be reaching out to others to make the world more like the Kingdom of God.
  • Humility is represented by the undergarments that offer us modesty & quiet support. Regardless of our degrees or bank accounts, we should all remember that we put on our underwear the exact same way.
  • Gentleness is the soft, fluffy fabric of a fleece jacket that doesn’t irritate or aggravate, but instantly offers a warm, safe resting place for conversation & connection.
  • Patience can be represented by the shoes we wear. When we men wear our wingtips, they require regular polishing & take time to lace up. For the ladies, as my wife reminds me, when high heels are worn one can never be in a rush. When we are thoughtful in all of our movements, this allows us to give grace & time to others as well.
  • Finally, Love is the belt that binds the entire ensemble together to truly be dressed for success. God’s style never goes out of fashion.

DL: Thanks for that breakdown. As we wrap up, I have to say your shop’s name is quite eye-catching.

Lee Lowe: Thanks. We wanted to emphasize that we will always provide prompt service, sometimes even while you wait–hence our name, “Tailor Swift.”

DL: Thanks for your time.

© 2025 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References

* “Paul would have written these letters during his imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:16), or possibly during an earlier imprisonment in Ephesus or Caesarea (Acts 24-26).” J. R. Daniel Kirk, introduction to Colossians in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 381 NT.
** Andrew Purves, study note on Colossians 3:1-17 in The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible. HarperSanFrancisco, 2005, p. 2143.
*** Hamilton, Adam, The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life (p. 40). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.