BIBLE PASSAGE:
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put
off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the
new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
(Ephesians 4:22-24)
MEDITATION:
Do you enjoy changing clothes? I don’t, but my wife has
sometimes changed clothes 3-4 times in one day, and I
have often wondered why (but was afraid to ask).
One thing I have noticed is that clothes can have an impact
on a person’s thoughts about themselves, and affect the way
they are perceived (or judged) by others.
For instance, years ago, a suit and tie in the work force seemed
to command respect and project authority. However, as business
casual became the trend, the lines between non-management and
management became blurred. You could no longer spot a manager
simply by the clothes they wore.
Think about this:
Whenever we dress for work each day, we are mentally
prepared to meet the challenges at work. In essence, we
have put on our business mind and attitude.
But at the end of the day, when we have changed into
our casual clothes at home, our thoughts are no longer
on business, but have shifted to fun, family and relaxation.
Whenever I put on a uniform to play softball, my
attitude and focus shifted to athletics and competition.
The scriptures tell us that we are taught to ‘put off our old self’
and to ‘put on our new self’. It kind of sounds similar to changing
clothes, doesn’t it? We are told that our ‘old self’ is dirty and we
have been wearing it for too long. It is time to make a change and
put on a clean and fresh ‘new self’.
The change we are to make is not a subtle one that is barely
noticed by others. We are to make a profound and dynamic
change that will impact our mind, our attitudes, our habits,
our focus, and our relationship with God and others.
Think of it in terms of wearing a new outfit for the first time
and someone says,
“You have a new outfit, don’t you?”
Whenever we put on a ‘new self’
others should look at us and think,
“There is something new and different about that person”
Take a brief look at the life of Paul. Before his conversion,
he was the antithesis of meekness and concern or compassion
for others. Paul was proud of the effective way he captured
and violently punished Christians.
He was biased, proud, and focused on destroying the believers
in Christ. You can almost get a visual of someone who was a
bully and was bent on eliminating the ‘good news’ of God’s
mercy and grace.
However, when he met the Lord, Paul made a ‘complete’ change
of his focus and attitude. He changed from being a ruthless enemy
of God’s people, to a person of warmth and affection, with a desire
to associate and become friends with the ones he had been trying to
destroy.
The fruits of the spirit such as gentleness, goodness, self-control,
faithfulness, kindness and love could now be seen in Paul as he
put on his ‘new self’. Paul didn’t make a half-hearted change in
his life, he sold out to the Lord completely! His pendulum swung
from a high level of evil on one side, to a high level of goodness
on the other side.
That’s the way a pendulum works, isn’t it? If it is high on one side
and we release it, it will swing to almost the same height on the other
side. We witness a dramatic change in the position of the pendulum,
rather than just a subtle repositioning of it. Not only did Paul know
his life had been totally changed, but others could see it in him too.
If our ‘spiritual pendulum’ is barely to the left side and we release it,
it will most likely barely shift to the right side. If our thoughts are,
“Yes, I was lost, but my actions weren’t that different
from what I saw in Christians, and in fact, I was more
‘religious’ than some of them”
then more than likely we will not be as motivated to make significant
changes to our lives and attitudes whenever we become a child of God.
Satan will seize this type of mentality as an opportunity to
discourage or prevent us from being ‘sold out’ to the Lord
so we will not become effective servants of His.
For some who are ‘far from the Lord’, the pendulum will naturally
swing from high on the ‘sinful side’ to high on the ‘righteous side’.
But for those who felt they were fairly close to the Lord when they
were lost, it will probably require special efforts to lift themselves
higher on the ‘righteous side’.
For those who felt they were very far from the Lord as sinners,
it may be an easy and more natural transformation, because
they have a great appreciation for the mercy of the Lord when
He rescued them from a life of sin.
But for those who are convinced they were good people when
they were lost, it can require a concentrated effort to make the
transition required to raise the height on the righteous side of
their ‘spiritual pendulum’.
The truth is, when we are on the ‘sinful’ side of the pendulum,
we are dirty and need to change. It is not a matter of degrees
of dirtiness, it is a matter of ‘dirtiness’ versus ‘cleanliness’.
ACTION:
How has your ‘spiritual pendulum’ changed since you became
a child of God? Has Satan convinced you that you don’t have
to make significant changes in your life and attitudes? Have
you partially removed the ‘old self’ and put on a partial ‘new self’?
Others may not know how much you love God, but He does!
He also knows from your actions and attitudes, how much or
how little you appreciate His free gift of salvation. If your
changes have been limited to your own theology and desires,
God knows you have not ‘sold out’ to Him in the same way
Paul did when he was saved.
How would others describe your transformation? Would they
say things like,
“He (or she) told me that he (or she) has become a Christian,
but I seldom any evidence that Jesus is living in him (or her)”
Or maybe,
“He (or she) claims to be a believer, but still
has many of their old unrighteous habits”
Or possibly,
“As a believer, I thought he (or she) was supposed to be kind
and gentle, but he (or she) is still rude, inconsiderate, selfish,
judgmental, and/or egotistical”
Or would they say something like,
“He (or she) is not the same person I used to know. I can
see how important the Lord is to him (or her) and how
God has changed him (or her)”
One thing we need to remember is, some people will not accept
our ‘new self’, but God will. We should not be surprised that
some people will react in a negative way, but we can’t change
how they feel. We have a new purpose which is to please the
Lord, to live the ‘new self’ He has created in us, and pray that
He will guide us in all that we say and do.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your merciful gift of salvation
to me! Forgive me if I have failed to put on a ‘new self’ completely.
Show me the areas where I am still wearing my ‘old self’ and help
me to change those areas as well. Teach me to eliminate all of my
selfishness, so that I can be obedient to You, even if when it means
I will have to leave my comfort zone. Forgive me if I have developed
my own set of rules for loving and obeying You, instead of accepting
and embracing Your Word as my book of guidelines. Develop in me
the same kind of meekness and unselfishness that Jesus has. I want
others to know that I am a child of Yours by my words, actions, and
attitudes. My desire is for others to know that my faith is real because
they can visibly see how I have changed.”
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