To begin our new year let us memorize Colossians 3:12 which states: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”    As we see the fruit of being “God’s chosen people” is that we clothe ourselves with these wonderful qualities.    The fact that we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, that we belong to the same body of Christ, (the church),  have been chosen by God’s grace, that we are all brothers, should lead us to manifest a spirit of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  Because we have trusted Christ, we have been set apart from the world unto the Lord. We are not our own but now (and forever) belong completely (all of us, all the time, not just on Sunday!) to Him.  Just as the marriage ceremony sets apart a man and a woman for each other exclusively, so salvation sets the believer apart exclusively for our soon coming Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Would it not be a horrible thing, at the end of a wedding, to see the groom run off with the maid of honor?  It is even worse when a Christian chooses to run after the ugly things of the world rather than walking in the sweet fellowship of Christ who will soon return for us.   May our lives shine with the light of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”.