Put on the new self - Daily Devotional October 6th 2009

Daily Bible Reading - 1 Chronicles 22, Ezekiel 32, Ephesians 3-4

Put on the new self

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." What a powerful message of hope and restoration this is. This means that we have a brand new life in Christ. We do not look the same, talk the same or even act the same as we did before our new birth. Paul as he writes uses the words, "new creation". If we look back to Genesis and see the origin of man we see that God created man in His likeness and in His image. In other words when we come to Christ our sins are not just forgiven but He destroys the old you and creates a new you (a new creation). This tells me that I get a fresh start at life!!!

Paul understood this fresh start because he was one that was living it out in his own life. Paul's story is an extreme example but shows us exactly how awesome the grace of God is. One day Paul was the greatest persecutor of the church and believers, then the next day because he encountered God's grace becomes the biggest proponent of the church of Jesus Christ. Although we are brand new creatures and the old desires, passions and actions are passed away we are still living in a fallen world so therefore with our new creation we must still, "submit to God and resist the devil" so that we do not fall into the old snares and traps that we did before our new creation.

Ephesians 4 gives us more insight and encouragement to continue to put off the old person and continue to put on the new person that we are in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 4:17-24 says, "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." As a new creation we still face challenges and battles like we did as the old person we were, but we have a fresh start and therefore must daily put on the new self. We must look totally different than the world! It is a challenge at times but that is why we must do what David encouraged Solomon to do in 1 Chronicles 22:19, "Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God."

If we are truly setting our mind and heart to seek the Lord our God we will continue go walk in as the new person God has created us to be. We will continue to see the new man alive and the old one dead. We will see it in our actions, thoughts and words. We will know that we are a new creation because we will not be found in the bars dancing and drinking anymore. We will not find ourselves in unhealthy conversations and in situations that compromise our testimony. We will find ourselves as new creation fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing, "righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart".

I challenge you to look at your own life and to put on the new self. I challenge you to look and see if your are living different than the rest of the world. I challenge you to examine your Friday and Saturday nights and see if someone can tell if you have put on the new self. If someone was to watch you would they be able to separate you from the rest of the crowd. Or more yet, I have learned that sometimes the best way to be an example of the new creations is not to go along with the crowd at all to the party, etc., but rather to not go to the party at all and not be found in the crowd. I challenge you today to put on the new self.

Tomorrows Bible Reading - 1 Chronicles 23, Ezekiel 33, Ephesians 5-6

Dream Big
Ben