Dear Faith Family, 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony, (Colossians 3:12-14). 

The transformation is, well, transformational.  The change is warm and welcoming.  Over the past few days, the painters have clothed the lobby, stairwell, and connecting hallways with a new coat of paint.  Even the ceiling!  What a transformation!  Wait, I already said that didn’t I?  The collective sigh of relief coming from the walls and ceiling was almost audible. 

The hard parts?  Those would be the removal of the popcorn ceiling and the sanding away of excess drywall puddy.  So much had to be removed in preparation for the new paint.  Tedious?  Yes?  Time consuming?  Yes.  Messy?  Yes.  Worth it?  Yes. 

Here’s the thing.  Paul doesn’t put on the new paint until the old is removed.  You can find the old in Colossians 3:8.  Stuff like anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk.  Those things are found in the “to be removed column”. 

But before you pull out a piece of notebook paper and start writing one hundred times: “I will remove anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk,” read the first four verses of Colossians 3.  There Paul connects this whole remodel to the living Christ.  By His grace and love we now are His.  We have the privilege of joining Him as He clothes us with a new coat of paint. 

The point?  Paul challenges us to put on some new “paint” in Colossians 3.  Consider the beauty of His colors.  Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Love.  Wow!  What a transformation!  Have you seen such glorious paint adorning the lives of people that you know?  How’s your paint? 

Interesting that the new paint begins internally and bleeds out into our lives.  Seems that Jesus is remodeling from the heart out.  Maybe He’s still removing some popcorn?  Some drywall puddy?  Is He identifying some unbecoming thinking and behavior?  Like anger, wrath, malice, slander, or obscene talk?  Don’t resist.  Is He applying a new color?  Like compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love.  Enjoy. 

Being transformed, 
Pastor Karl