Day 4 – Clothe Yourself with Compassion | Reconditioned: Think on Things Above

Today, we move on to verse 12 of Colossians 3 (NIV) - “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

What did the Apostle Paul mean when he said, “clothe yourselves”?

He was reminding us that compassion is not automatic, it is intentional. 

Just as we choose what to wear every morning, we must choose the attitude we step into the day with. Compassion doesn’t appear by accident; it is something we deliberately put on.

To “clothe” yourself in compassion means to make kindness visible. It’s not just what we feel — it’s what others can see in our actions, our tone, and our responses. 

Compassion transforms how we deal with people who are hurting, but also how we treat those who have hurt us.

Ruth gives us a living picture of compassion that restores. After losing her husband, she could have turned inward, bitter and broken. Yet when Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, Ruth refused to leave her side. She said, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16 NIV).

That was compassion in motion, a love that sacrificed comfort for commitment. 

Ruth had every reason to go back to her old life, but compassion wouldn’t let her. She chose faithfulness over convenience, empathy over escape.

Sometimes compassion requires stepping into someone else’s sorrow without judgment. Ruth didn’t try to fix Naomi’s pain; she simply walked with her through it. That’s powerful — because true compassion doesn’t always speak; sometimes it just stays. That’s deep.

Ruth’s kindness didn’t go unnoticed. When she began gleaning in Boaz’s field, the very act of gathering leftover grain became her bridge to destiny. 

Boaz said to her,  as recorded in Ruth 2:11–12 NIV,“I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband… May the Lord repay you for what you have done”.

Ruth’s story shows us that compassion always attracts favour. She didn’t seek recognition; she sought to serve. Yet God saw her quiet consistency and clothed her in blessing.

Compassion is love in work clothes. It bends down to lift others up. It listens longer. It forgives faster. It acts even when emotions don’t agree. 

When we clothe ourselves with compassion, we begin to reflect the heart of Jesus — the One who looked at broken people and moved toward them, not away from them.

Matthew 9:36 (NLT) says, “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” 

Jesus didn’t just see their condition; He felt it deeply. Compassion moved Him to heal, to feed, to restore. It was the engine of His ministry.

That same compassion must rule in us. The world conditions us to be guarded, skeptical, and self-focused, but heaven reconditions us to care, to feel, and to forgive. The closer we walk with Christ, the softer our heart becomes toward others.

Colossians 3:13 (NLT) says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” 

Compassion and forgiveness walk hand in hand — one feeds the other. So if our compassion grows cold, our forgiveness will soon follow.

So here’s the challenge for all of us. 

Maybe there’s someone who has made compassion difficult — someone who wounded our trust or tested our patience. Don’t see it as weakness to show grace. Compassion is not saying “what you did was okay.” It’s saying, “what you did won’t control me anymore.” Compassion frees you before it ever reaches the other person.

That’s the mark of a reconditioned mind - one that chooses mercy when the world chooses meanness, one that carries heaven’s tenderness into earth’s tension. 

Ruth’s story proves that compassionate people don’t finish empty; they finish full. By the end of her journey, she was no longer gleaning leftovers — she was owning the field. That’s what God does for those who love beyond convenience.

And if compassion feels costly, remember this: so did the cross. Yet Christ still clothed Himself in mercy for us.