Daily Dose of Hope

April 14, 2026

Scripture: Colossians 3

Prayer: Almighty God, We belong to you. Sometimes, we get distracted and wander. Forgive us, Lord. Help us stay fully focused on you. Help us remember who and whose we are. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us hear a word from you...Jesus, this is your day, we are your people. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We have been journeying through Paul's letters and we are currently in Colossians.

Today's reading was Colossians 3. In this chapter, Paul begins a discussion on sanctification, encouraging the believers at Colossae to grow in their walk with Christ and reflect Jesus in all they do. He implores them to live differently than those around them; they have a higher calling. The false teachers were concerned with life on earth but Paul is telling the Colossians that there is so much more for which to live.

Paul begins by speaking of the vices that must be set aside as Christ-followers. Then, he begins to speak of virtues. I love this! He speaks of these character traits like clothing; "clothe" yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Because they are new people in Jesus Christ, they put on new clothes that represent that new life. One can accept Christ and receive salvation, but it is a process learning how to live like a believer. It takes practice putting on these new clothes and yet it is so very important. They must also learn to forgive one another and love each other.

We take these concepts for granted in today's church because we talk about love and forgiveness so often. But this would have been new stuff for these early believers. For many, it would have been a drastic shift from their previous life. While we talk a great deal about love and forgiveness in the modern-day church, I think we also still are figuring out how to live out these concepts. If you ask people who left the church why they did so, it often amounts to being mistreated by a church member or being turned off by hypocritical behavior.

It would probably do all of us some good to do an assessment. How much do we reflect compassion in our interactions with others? How often do we reflect kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience? How loving have we been toward others over the past week? How forgiving have we been? Take a moment and think about each virtue. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10. What areas need work and how might you practice living these out?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki