Notice Paul’s prescription in verse 12 for compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and forgiveness—these aren’t needed when everything is going great. They’re needed in the midst of discord. They’re needed when controversy looms and understanding runs dry. They’re needed when you’ve been hurt by somebody in the church, whether they intended to hurt you or not. The love that we’re called to dress in as those who follow Jesus Christ is the glue of perfection. That’s what Paul says in verse 14. Above everything else, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. The
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