Jump Start # 706
Ephesians 4:22, 24 “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
One of the characteristics of becoming a Christian is change. Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born anew or born again. The Romans were told to walk in the newness of life. Our verse today emphasizes the ending of one life and the beginning of a new life. It is a different life. A better life.
Consider some thoughts about this.
1. Change is hard for many of us. We like the old because we are comfortable with it. We’ve been this way for a long, long time. The new self…the new mind…the new way…the new walk all take us to new places and involve change. This change is more than adding something new, it is leaving the old ways. Done and gone with the way things were before. The old ways took us away from God. The old ways involved attitudes, decisions and behavior that was wrong. Conversion necessitates that things change.
2. This change is a choice. It isn’t automatic nor miraculous. Paul’s words to the Ephesians were “you lay aside the old self” and “put on the new self.” Those were things the Ephesians had to do. Those were choices, decisions and actions that came from within them. Some want Christ but they don’t want to change. That never works.
3. Change is based upon God’s word. The change was created in the likeness of God and is found in truth, God’s word. The change isn’t something that we come up with. It doesn’t come from within us, it comes from God’s word. Thus the change looks similar to all of us. It isn’t individualism or created with our own unique flair, instead it is pattered after the word of God.
4. Change is something that God expects. Paul was telling the Ephesians to do this. The following verses outline some details that this change would involve. Honesty, self control, kindness, forgiveness and goodness are a some of the changes that would come when one walked with Christ. A stubborn person who refuses to change is not doing what God wants. A person who is content to live by the rule, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is not pleasing God. We are not dealing with dogs. We are talking about disciples. We are talking about us. We can put aside anger. We can be kind. We can talk in pleasant ways. We can forgive. We can because God said so and God expects that. On our own, we probably can’t do those things very well. However, with Christ we can. We can, because we see Jesus doing those things. We can because God’s word molds and shapes our thinking if we allow it.
Living in the Ohio Valley, residents witness change with the seasons. The air is cooler today and the leaves are turning colors. The days are shorter and we are cutting our yards less and less. Change is happening right before our eyes. Before long, the cold winds of winter will be blowing through the area. Change—it happens in the weather.
A person notices change when the look in the mirror. We are getting older. We may not like that look, but it is showing us change. We don’t look the same, we change.
God is waiting for us to change on the inside. He wants us to grow more Christ-like.
Being a Christian, is much more than going to church on Sunday, it’s being a different person, not just on Sunday, but everyday. A better person. A godly person. A person who walks with the Lord.
It’s up to you to be what God wants. Try it. Learn. Become. It will make a difference in all areas of your life. The way of the Cross leads home…
Roger