Daily Manna · Day 33 · February 2
What to Wear
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
It is a wardrobe, and it is worth walking through it garment by garment. Bowels of mercies is a physical phrase, the gut reaction of pity, compassion felt somewhere below the ribs. Kindness is the usable, daily sort, the word Scripture also uses for God's own goodness toward people who have not asked for it. Humbleness of mind was not a virtue in the Greek world; the word carried the sense of lowliness, of a servant, and Christians repurposed it. Meekness is strength under a bridle, not weakness. Longsuffering is literally long-tempered, the opposite of a short fuse, and it is measured in duration rather than intensity. Then Paul adds the two verbs that put the clothes to work, forbearing one another and forgiving one another, and finally, above all these things, charity, which he calls the bond of perfectness: the belt that holds the rest of it on.
Notice the therefore. It leans back on the lines above, where the old clothes come off: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, lying. There is no putting on without a putting off. Meekness will not layer over a temper you are still protecting.
And notice who is being dressed. The elect of God, holy and beloved. All three titles are handed over before a single garment is mentioned. You dress like family because you were adopted into it, not to audition for a place at the table.
Kindness held until about four o'clock yesterday, and then the tone came out of you at someone who has to see you again at breakfast. So which garment did you take off first, and when?
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year two reading for day 33 is Ye Shall Be Witnesses (Acts 1:8).