“To put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24 NIV
“Created to be like God” means to be a new creation. Paul is not telling us to renovate or remake our old self into a new self. He is telling us to put on a completely new and different person. We are not putting on old clothes after they have been washed and mended. We are getting a whole new wardrobe; a whole new set of clothing; a whole new person. This new creation is according to God. In other words, it is what God is. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and then seek to become like Him are made like God! This doesn’t mean we become God, but rather that we become what God has intended for all of humanity. We become like Christ. Paul says here that we become like Him in His true righteousness and holiness. Righteousness refers to how we interact in our relationships with other people. Holiness refers to how we interact in our relationship with God. So what is Paul telling us today? He’s saying, “Hey, as Christians, you need to free your mind from all that it once was. This begins by going to school. By learning the Word of God, hearing Christ and being taught by Him. Get rid of those old, moth-eaten, manure-covered, garbage-bound clothes you used to wear, and put on heavenly clothes of light.” We do this by rejecting sensuality, pride, materialism, bitterness, anger and all forms of sin that drag us down into the mud. Do you want to change something in your life? The way ahead is quite simple but it’s not easy – learn from Christ, hear Him speak, be taught by Him as you read the Bible, pray and join a church where the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, we choose to lay aside our dirty clothes of our old self and put on clothes of light.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Thank You, Lord, that we can lay aside the dirty clothes of our old self, and put on the new clothes of light as we read Your Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to change us. AMEN
I.B.R.A. Readings
Isaiah 6:6-10
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