to make a speech, we get “butter flies” and this is the first place where we are affected. Have you ever had such compassion for a certain in dividual, such deep love and concern, that you couldn’t eat? This is a heart of compassion, a feeling of emotion, with attendant physical reactions. Sympathy is the ability to exchange places with another person, while at the same time having it affect you physically. Kindness is far more than merely saying, “I'm sorry.” It is really doing something about it. In the second chapter of James’ epistle we have a complete exposition on the subject. The Apostle points out that when a man comes to you and says he is hungry and has nothing to wear, don’t just say “God bless you, friend; I’ll be praying for you.” Do something about it! It is impossible to maintain fellowship with God without showing kindness to others who are in need. This reveals a sweetness of disposition even when there may be no call for pity. It is very easy to be vocal, but it is an other thing to be vocational. Then, p u t on “humbleness of mind.” In Proverbs six we learn that the Lord hates a proud look. Keep in mind that humility is not thinking of yourself at all. Humility is that strange attribute which, the moment you think you have it, you’ve lost it. A preacher friend of mine kiddingly said that he had a tremendous ser mon on humility he was hoping to bring sometime. The reason he hadn’t yet was because he was just waiting for a large enough audience before whom to present it. In I Peter 5:5 we are exhorted to be clothed with humility. The word clothed is used only in this portion of the New Testament. It has a reference to the overall, aprons, or work clothes which the slave wore over his regular garments. It is a term which signi fies the lowliest form of garb. Is this the kind of humility of mind we have? Then “meekness” is that with 20
there is no room for us to say, “We have more prominence because we are of this nationality, or we are of this background ethnically.” When it comes to the cross of Jesus Christ all men are equal, for all are sinners and desperately need God’s redemp tion. The second is circumcision. This was a religious rite performed by the Jewish people. Regardless of reli gious background, all men are equal. Just because you are a member of a certain church doesn’t mean you are any better than one who belongs to a different denomination, or perhaps is not a church member at all. The determining factor is the renewing by the Spirit of God. The third grouping is barbarians or Scythians. This speaks of educational and social background, while “bond or free” is the cultural basis. In each of the four cases, all men are the same in the sight of God. In Colossians 3:12 we read, “Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meek ness, longsuffering.” Then in verses 13 and 14, we find the completion of this list of seven perfect things we are to wear as believers. Christianity is not a negative system. Don’t try to put on any of these things before first of all you take off all of the old. If you wear the new without discard ing the old, you will find yourself in quite a hopeless mess. We cannot wear the robes of charity until we take off the rags of sensuality. PUTTING OFF AND PUTTING ON PART IV I N new things to wear we are told first of all to put on “bowels of mercies.” This represents the seat of one’s emotions or that which medical science refers to as the solar plexis, the region just below the diaphragm, which contains the nerve endings. Whenever difficulties come, some sud den tragedy occurs, or we may have
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