LOVE AS A GARMENT.

But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:14).
The preaching and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ as delivered by the ministers are moulded in manner to produce a perfect man out of a corrupt man. The teachings and warnings are a pure breathe of God that will produce a perfect man when presented in their eternal integrity and wholeness. Paul when writing to the church of colosse gives a template pointing how a minister will be perfected in the course appointed for him by the Almighty. He says, ‘But above all these things put on love’ . Above the passion, eloquence and articulation of the word, and above organized sermons and seminars with the ‘best’ ministers and all the regulations and commands, Put on Love ‘which is the bond of perfection”. Love is an integral part of delivering the gospel of Christ, which is power to save humanity. It is impossible to reconcile humanity to God without love. The power of the gospel is demonstrated in love . Paul brings out the perception of love as a garment that we ought to cloth ourselves in.
Love is the garment that we received when we received our redemption. It is love that redeemed us from our own corruptedness and filth. We were trapped in our own blood i.e that which is symbolic to sinful and corrupt nature of man. The covering with own blood yet unredeemed and without life is the state that we lived in. It was and is a helpless status to those who have not yet tasted of the love of the Almighty. “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, Live! Yes, I said to you in your blood, Live! … When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God. Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. (Ezekiel 16:6,8-10|NKJV)”. Love that bore compassion.
The love of God bore compassion towards us. Nothing would rescure us from our own murky and corrupt nature. He loved us while we still writhed and struggled in our filth without hope to redemption. His love saw us beyond our flaws and helpless state. It is love that said ‘Live‘ when we were trapped in death and struggling in our sins. ‘I…saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, Live! Yes, I said to you in your blood, Live!‘. He gave us life even before washing us. He said, “though your sinful nature has weakened you, though you are trapped in the lust of the eyes and pride of life; though you have become obnoxious and laughing stock to the world, I say ‘LIVE‘. For I see a perfect man presented before the Lord.”
We the sons of the kingdom bear this voice to the world. The order of ministry of love is, that you give life first. Love opens the eye to see beyond the struggle of humanity in sin. It will see a perfect man presented before the Lord beyond his struggles and flaws. Love saw us standing as a perfect man before the throne of the Almighty and declared, Live, though you are weak in your spirit and corrupt in your soul, ‘live’. Hallelujah to God. He washed us and clothed us with the garment of love. He did not wash as and sent us without a garment; but He also anointed us with precious oil and clothed us. This is the pattern for anyone who puts his hand in work with the Lord. We are His handiwork, created in Christ for the good work prepared before the foundations of the Earth. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10|NKJV)”. The ministry of reconciliation is the good work prepared for us and Love is the pattern that we walk in to the perfection of this work. Anointing, though of great essence will not perfect the good work which was prepared for you. It is not enough to know your call or gift and functioning in it. Paul’s admonition to the church was to go the Christ’s mile; the mile of putting on Love as a garment.
No one after taking a bath and anointing his body with oil leaves without properly dressed unless s/he is nuts. Look, anybody who ministers but without love is like one who after washing and anointing his body walks out naked into the streets. Anointing without love is mockery to God and obnoxious to the world. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-2|NKJV)”. It is love that perfects the gift of a man.
Love is like a squeezer. It’s a garment that squeezes the best and sweetest juice out of a us. It brings out of us what is digestible to spiritual babes as well as spiritual giants in the Lord. It is this garment that made Paul fit in every gentile’s and Jewish context.

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:19-22|NKJV)”
If anyone longs and desire to be perfected in the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ, then cloth yourself with the garment of love. “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 1:27-28). This is our job description. Our work will only be perfected if and only if we are clothed with love, the bond of perfection. Glory to the Almighty who will in all grace and mercy ultimately help us in this mile.