“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.” (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV)
When my now college-age grand was still pre-school age, she was a very determined child. She wasn’t pushy or mean, just very firm in her likes and dislikes. When she liked something, she really, really liked it—to the point of holding onto her favorites forever. I discovered this when I bought her a red hoodie. She loved it and wore it every day for days and days. She even resisted taking it off for bedtime.
And then there were her favorite shoes. They were a lovely bright white with lights in the heels. Grand Girl wore those shoes until they were completely worn out. By that point, they were scuffed and frayed with no white remaining. The lights had burned out, and the toes had ripped open. Although her parents bought new shoes, she fought giving up the battered, but comfortable, old shoes. Even now as an adult, she prefers the old and comfortable over the new and stylish.
How many of us are much like this determined (some might say stubborn) child? We hang on to old habits, old desires, old ways of living even while God promises us a new and better way. Isaiah 43:18 tells us to “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old” (ESV). What He offers is so much better than the old and tattered.
When we repent of our sins, are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and filled with His Spirit, we become a new creation. We no longer desire our old, worn-out lifestyle. The world becomes a better and brighter place because of our transformation. We are assured in II Corinthians 5:17 that:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (ESV).
When the Lord comes into our lives, we take on a new perspective and set new goals. Our values change. Our desires change. We think differently; we act differently. We seem different because we are different! We have become a completely new person in Christ—and it shows! We become like Him.
- We have died to sin (Romans 6:2).
- God has given us a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26).
- Our minds are renewed (Ephesians 4:23).
- We now walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4).
- The fruit of the Spirit becomes evident in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Romans 8:9, ESV)
If you are still walking in a pair of dirty, torn shoes, I have one simple question. Why? The Lord has a brand-new way for you to walk. He desires to transform you into a new creation and to fill you with His Spirit. Your life will never be the same.
Lord, change me. Take away the dirty, tattered things of this world and replace them with Your righteousness. Transform me into a new creation. Help me to think Your thoughts, desire Your priorities, and walk in Your ways. Fill me with Your Spirit and make me like You.
