The heart of the message Paul taught them is in Ephesians 4:22-24. That same message of Christ’s Lordship must fill our lives, leading to the removal of any part of our lives that displeases God. There are three clear choices we must make!
Look again with me at Ephesians 4:22-24:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
First, Paul is asking believers to start a lifestyle of grace-energized shedding. This is “putting off” old habits like old clothes are so comfortable and fit us so well, that we often forget that we even have them on again—until the Spirit of God convicts us. Paul is reminding us that those who will live a life holy to the Lord must repeatedly put off the old ways.
If we struggle with anger, anger must be shed daily; and if we struggle with pride, pride must be shed daily. This is also the choice we must make for lust, greed, fear, and any other byproducts of our flesh. Often, believers fail to grow in their spiritual lives because they don’t understand the lifelong need to shed or “put off” our old sins on a daily basis.
Second, in Ephesians 4:23, Paul is asking them to start a lifestyle of grace-energized thinking. Choices to put off old ways flow from our renewed minds. Just as Romans 12:2 says, we are “transformed by the renewing of our minds”. When we think godly, we behave godly; or when we believe right, we behave right.
God’s plan for our minds always starts with us personally reading and studying His Word. Then from that flows our personal request to God’s Spirit, asking Him to renew our minds. As we prayerfully read, we have in our minds God’s thoughts. As we submit to God’s desires through His Word, He infuses His mind into ours. Paul said that we can have the mind of Christ through this constant renewal process. A grace-energized mind comes as believers regularly, hopefully daily, get God’s Word into their hearts and minds.
A simple goal would be to listen to God’s voice all the way through His Word once each year. This is an imperative for us, reading the Bible expectantly and asking God to speak to us by His Spirit each day in His Word.
From GEW-14d – When Christ is Magnified and Believers Consecrated – God’s Word Prevails (070805AM)
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