Recently, I've been deeply reflecting on the entire book of Colossians, reading and rereading it multiple times. There are two particular verses in Colossians that I believe are very important for us to understand, since they concern our walk with God and our relationships with others.

I'm talking about Colossians 3:12 and 13, which says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering…."

The first part of verse 12 is what I want to emphasis today. It tells you and me what God thinks of us. This is really important for us to get into our hearts, because we need to know what God thinks of those whom He has redeemed.

Elect
The first word that tells us what God thinks of us is the word "elect." The verse says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God…."

The word "elect" is the Greek word eklektos, which is a compound of the words "ek" and "lego." The word "ek" means out, and "lego" means I say. When they are compounded together, the new word literally means, "Out, I say!" In other words, God loved us so much that when He saw us, He declared, "Out, I say!"—and in that moment, He called us out from a lost eternity and began the process of making sure we came to Christ. For that reason, the word "eklektos" can be translated elected or selected, carrying the idea that we are personally chosen by God.

If you know Jesus Christ today, it is no accident. God thought so highly of you that He personally summoned you to know Him. So the next time the devil tries to tell you that you are unimportant and no one wants you or cares about you, read the above paragraph to him as a rebuke! The fact is, God looked out into eternity and saw you, and He said, "I want you. I'm calling you out of this lost world to belong to Me!"

God literally chose you for Himself, which ought to be one of the truths you speak to yourself every day. That's right—look in the mirror every morning, and declare: "I am not an accident. God Himself chose me. I am a chosen person. That's how much God loves me!"

Holy
The second word in verse 12 that tells us what God thinks of us is the word "holy." The verse continues to say, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy…."

The word "holy" is the Greek word "hagios," which in ancient times described awe, respect, and reverence for a holy place or a holy shrine&151;a place separated and set apart from other places. Consequently, the word eventually came to refer to something that was separated from the rest of the world and was thereby sanctified, consecrated, or holy.

Once we came to Christ, the blood of Jesus separated us, consecrated us, and made us holy. He removed our past sins from us, throwing them into the sea of forgetfulness and separating our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (see Ps. 103:12).

Now God's Spirit lives inside you, and your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The word "holy" (Greek, hagios) means that God Himself respects you as a holy dwelling place for His Spirit. God sees you as consecrated and sanctified, different from others, so special that you are in a totally separate category from the rest of the world.

That's why you must do your best to live in obedience to God's Word and to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit who resides within you (Eph. 4:30). Whenever you do anything out of order or anything that would bring shame to the Holy Spirit living within you, just confess your sin to the Father, and you will be immediately and completely cleansed by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:9).

So the next time the devil tries to tell you that you're too fat, too skinny, too homely, not spiritual enough, undeserving, or inferior in any way, read the above paragraph to him as a rebuke! Then the first thing every morning, look in the mirror and declare: "I am holy! Jesus' blood separated me from my past! He wiped it out and cleared the slate! He threw my sin into the sea of forgetfulness and separated it from me forever. Now I am clean, set apart, and consecrated—and God Himself respects me as the temple of His Spirit!"

Beloved
The third word in Colossians 3:12 that reveals what God thinks of us is the word "beloved." The verse goes on to say, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved.…"

The word "beloved" is the Greek word "agapao," which comes from the word "agape," the Greek word for love. The tense used in this verse is very significant, because it means God has loved us in the past; He still loves us in the present; and He will continue to love us in the future.

Let me ask you:

• Do you remember moments in your past when you were so very aware that God loved you? Were there moments when you felt overwhelmed by God's forgiveness, acceptance, and tender care for you, even at times when you knew you had done something wrong and didn't deserve His love?The psalmist David wrote that God's love is unfailing. In Psalm 36:7 (NIV), David said, "How priceless is your unfailing love!..." David and the other psalmists were so aware of God's "unfailing love" to sustain them that they wrote about it 70 times in the book of Psalms.
• Are you still aware today that God loves you with an everlasting, unfailing love? God's love for you has never changed. He loves you today as intensely as He loved you yesterday! You may have done things that were not appropriate for a child of God to do. You may have failed to spend enough time with Him in prayer. But nonetheless, you are His child, and He loves you with an everlasting love. Even if you've largely ignored God and you need to ask His forgiveness, He never forgets that the Holy Spirit lives in you, and He respects you as a dwelling place of His Spirit.
• The really great news is this: God's love for you tomorrow will also be unfailing. It will never change. Even if you fail, God's love for you will not fail. His love is steadfast and unchanging toward His sons and daughters.

When you put together the meaning of these three words in Colossians 3:12, you gain a deeper revelation regarding what God actually thinks about you. He has personally chosen you; He has separated you from your sin; He respects you as the dwelling place of His Spirit; and He loves you so much that His thoughts are continually turned toward you, causing awe, admiration, and wonder to be drawn from His heart.

That is what God thinks about you!

Rick Renner Ministries
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