Soft, Pliable, and Full of Love
Scripture
Colossians 3:12–14 (NLT) “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Devotion
The sermon used a vivid picture: if the church is hard and rigid, broken people will bounce off our edges and never find healing. But if we are soft and pliable—like that Play-Doh image—the broken can press into us and find a safe place to rest, heal, and be shaped.
Paul tells us how to become that kind of people: clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and—above all—love. This is the “soft blanket” the world needs to come in out of the cold.
“Make allowance for each other’s faults,” he writes. That means expecting people to be imperfect and choosing ahead of time to respond with grace instead of offense. Hard hearts always demand perfection from others; soft hearts remember that they themselves are still on the potter’s wheel.
We become soft not by trying to be “nice” but by continually returning to our own brokenness and the mercy we’ve received. Soft people give others what they themselves have freely received from God.
Reflection
1. Are you more like a hard surface people “bounce off,” or a soft blanket people can sink into and be safe around?
2. Which of these do you most need to “put on” today: mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, or love?
3. Who in your life do you need to “make allowance for” instead of constantly critiquing?
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Clothe me with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Above all, clothe me with Your love. Make my heart soft enough that broken people feel safe around me. Teach me to make allowance for others’ faults, just as You have been patient with mine. In Your name, amen.
Colossians 3:12–14 (NLT) “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Devotion
The sermon used a vivid picture: if the church is hard and rigid, broken people will bounce off our edges and never find healing. But if we are soft and pliable—like that Play-Doh image—the broken can press into us and find a safe place to rest, heal, and be shaped.
Paul tells us how to become that kind of people: clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and—above all—love. This is the “soft blanket” the world needs to come in out of the cold.
“Make allowance for each other’s faults,” he writes. That means expecting people to be imperfect and choosing ahead of time to respond with grace instead of offense. Hard hearts always demand perfection from others; soft hearts remember that they themselves are still on the potter’s wheel.
We become soft not by trying to be “nice” but by continually returning to our own brokenness and the mercy we’ve received. Soft people give others what they themselves have freely received from God.
Reflection
1. Are you more like a hard surface people “bounce off,” or a soft blanket people can sink into and be safe around?
2. Which of these do you most need to “put on” today: mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, or love?
3. Who in your life do you need to “make allowance for” instead of constantly critiquing?
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Clothe me with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Above all, clothe me with Your love. Make my heart soft enough that broken people feel safe around me. Teach me to make allowance for others’ faults, just as You have been patient with mine. In Your name, amen.