And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Previous to this verse, Paul lists compassion, kindness, humility, patience, gentleness, and forgiveness as virtues -- love is the supreme virtue that binds all these together. I am striving to model Christ this year in my love relationships, giving sacrificially to my wife and son, and working to build relationships beyond my immediate family to friends and neighbors. Christ was asked after he spoke about loving your neighbor, "Who then is my neighbor?" His answer was the parable of the good Samaritan, which describes how even someone who is stereotyped as lesser than others can show love to someone else. Christ turns the tables on the questioner and shows how love extends to all people. God is love, and he is the same for everyone. Anyway, all this to say, my aim to be loving in a lot of ways this year.
For those who are interested, my 2013 word was prayer, and I think I probably offered just about every type of prayer you can have last year. 2012 was simple, 2011 was wisdom, and 2010 was refuge.
