Just what does this mean? Is love like putting on a jacket? Is it a feeling or a choice? While reading a novel, I came across the phrase several weeks ago. It stayed under my skin like a song I couldn’t get out of my head. Just what do I need to learn?
In my quick search this weekend, I found only two places in the bible that instructs a follower of Christ to “put on love.”:
“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” [Colossians 3:14]
The Apostle Paul is clear. Out of all we do, this is the top item, Love. The second reference is:
“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” [1 Thessalonians 5:8]
In this passage, putting on love is something we put on our soul. We choose the breastplate and protect ourselves with Faith and Love. I find this very interesting because I hadn’t noticed this tie to Ephesians chapter six. Putting on the armor of God as described in Ephesians six is something I pray daily.
Anyway, back to Colossians. If I pick up love and put it on, I will have to change my perspective of love. My current perspective of love is a feel-good emotion. I loooove my husband, I love chocolate, writing, mountains, cool breezes… you get the idea. What I love loves me back.
But the passage is telling me love is also a choice. Ah! I can choose the love the color blue and writing. I can change those choices any time I want. Easy Peasy! My soul groans. She doesn’t get it. I hear a whisper; go deeper… The question is: What is God asking Christians to do?
That is the question I avoided for weeks. I’m like Jonah, running as fast as I can from Nineveh. My fingers in my ears yelling; I can’t hear you! I sense His Humor when I run. My mind does not let go of the concept. It is intriguing. The question draws me close to His Word. I have to find out. I can choose to love or not?
A lot of things are easy to love, My Princes and Princesses, family, readers, friends, and stuff. Thinking about these things I bop to the music in my soul. It feels good until it hits me, just what God has planned here. The music stops with a screech. In the silence this morning, I could sense an answer.
Slowly my mind grasps the depths of putting on love. I can choose the have hard feelings for the person who mistreats me or I can love them as God does. We make choices (judgments) of people every day based on first or past impressions. I’m not saying your gut is wrong; I’m looking at it with a different perspective. Maybe this person isn’t a good fit for me as a best bud, but God loves them and is still working in their lives. I don’t have to agree with what they do or even like them. I can choose to love them because God loves them.
There is much more in Chapter three. I plan to go deeper. Like the Thessalonians thing and connections to peace and Ephesians. After writing this post, I hunger for the knowledge buried in these passages. At least I’m not running in the opposite direction anymore.
The first step I will take is to put on Love every morning. Put on God’s Love for all people, even those who hurt me. Daily clothe myself in Love for the circumstances I don’t like. And yes, put on God’s Love for the peeps I love. God works His Love in every circumstance and person with or without my help. I need to remember that point. His Love is already there.
I’m stepping back into the adventure journey with new inspiration. By putting on Love, we are a piece of the big picture. Let’s see where He leads next.
Choose Love, my friends,
Milly
P.S. Scriptures are from the New King James Version
Milly Really! 
Ha, now you’re clearly stepping on my toes. Do you realize that the challenges that you throw out or not easy to do? Okay, so I’ll put on my jacket of love this morning and see how I feel about the guy who cuts me off in traffic for no reason, the neighbor who will not cut the Coconuts out of his tree which are falling on my property and damaging it or the man who jumps in line in front of me when clearly I was there first. Let’s see how that goes. As you say, it’s a choice. When you think about it these are small things but that’s where I have to start and try and move up the ladder. Thanks for the challenge!
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Hi Gayle, I apologize for not responding sooner. You have given me a lot to think about and opened my eyes to something in the scriptures. A thread I had not seen before. The importance for us to “put on” what God tells us to put on.
I am now reasearching this action in the Bible. Because, this is an action we can take in the physical world. So far I have found 63 references with the phrase “put on” in the scriptures. And that is just in the NKJV! From Genisis to Revelations I found the action “put on.”
Your image of “I’ll put on my jacket of love” struck me as a concious action we need to take every day. You joining me in the challenge laid before me humbles me. Thank you for taking the challenge laid before us by God. Praise God! Blessings Milly.
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