put on ... live real

Romans 12:10  NLT

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

1 Peter 1:7  NLT

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

The word genuine is one that our world and the people around us long for in big ways.  We have all seen what fake looks like.  In fact fake ticks us off, turns us off and makes us long for what is real.

When we stop for a few minutes and examine what genuine and real are like, we think about the people we know or have known that have deep character and integrity.  Their qualities have been reinforced with what we find in the Bible.  Throughout the Bible God calls us put on the things that point to changed lives, becoming like Jesus, living with great purpose.

The thread that runs through these verses are the words “put on”, yet I really believe that by following Jesus these things become second natural and our reality.  They become our genuine, changed life by the grace of God.

I pray that we live transformed, transparent and abundant lives all because we are allowing God to live through us and that we are living genuine lives.  Put on the things that point to God!

Colossians 3:14  NASB

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Ephesians 6:11  NASB

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 4:24  NASB

and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Romans 13:14  NASB

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Isaiah 59:17  NASB

He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head…

Psalm 39:7  NLT

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

What is it that God is leading you to seek or to put on as life becomes even more real!