Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-24 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.
Devotion: Every night when my husband gets home from work, he greets us and then immediately goes to change out of his work clothes into something more comfortable. You could blame it on the fact that he wears a suit and tie to work, but this has been his routine regardless of his occupation and what he wears. Even after going to church in the morning, he wants to change his clothes so that he can just be comfortable around the house and chasing the kids. I, on the other hand, have been guilty of staying in my coat and shoes for a couple of hours upon returning home. But that is an illustration to unpack at a different time.
Taking off our old clothes and putting on new ones is one of the best illustrations to help us understand what it means to “put off your old self”, as it says in today’s scripture. In our world, we are told that we are to embrace ourselves and believe in ourselves. The power to do good and be good is within ourselves.
But Christianity says the opposite. We are told to set aside our old selves and put on our new selves, the ones who are made new in Christ. We are told that this is not by any of our own doing, but by the gift of grace from God so that we may not boast about it. We do not need to be stuck with type of person we once were, allowing our mistakes and sins to bog us down and keep us stuck. Instead, we can embrace that we are a new creation and put that identity on every single day. Though it isn’t the normal way of living, I think it may just me the most exciting and welcoming start to every morning: to be reminded that you are made new in Jesus. Embrace it.
Reflect:
- How do you embrace and live out your identity as made new in Jesus?
