Worship for Today: Renewal in Jesus Christ.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in 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."

 

Paul speaks to his readers about living their lives in a manner that reflect the new reality of their lives. Now that they have become children of God there is a "new self" to be put on, replacing an old self which is to be taken off. Like entering into the changing room and removing old  garments prior to putting on new, we are to change from one to the other.

 

In verse one of this chapter Paul says this being "made new in the attitude of your minds" is "worthy of the calling you have received." It is a new creation from God, to be like him in "true righteousness and holiness", something prepared for us to do. Paul provides a variety of examples of what this new life looks like that has been prepared for us to put on. It involves a taking off of things like anger, bitterness, slander and malice. And, not simply a matter of the removal of things that mark our old way of life, it includes the putting on of new things as well, things like kindness, compassion and forgiveness.

 

It is just here the realities of becoming a member of God's family find their manifestation in our lives. The process of becoming a new person in Jesus Christ speaks louder than any apologetic argument defending the gospel message. God makes a new creation of us which cannot be accounted for in any other explanation than that his Spirit now resides in our hearts!

 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them." 2 Corinthians 5:17-19a.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com