Be New People

5 Aug

I declare and testify in the Lord
that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,
in the futility of their minds;
that is not how you learned Christ,
assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him,
as truth is in Jesus,
that you should put away the old self of your former way of life,
corrupted through deceitful desires,
and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and put on the new self,
created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.  (Eph 4:17,20-24)

Paul, in his letter to the Christian community in Ephesus, says it quite plainly:  we must be a changed people if we are to call ourselves disciples of Christ.

Receiving Christ, we are no longer the old people — slaves of sin and darkness and death — but, rather, a new people born in the glory of light and love.

If that is the case, we are to put aside the old ways of life and live in holiness.

So easy to say.  Extremely difficult to do, especially since we live in a world steeped in corruption, sin, and death.

But, nothing is impossible with the help of God.

We turn to Him today.

FAITH ACTION:  What, of the “old ways” of a sinful life, plagues you the most?  Turn that over to the Lord today and ask God to give you the grace that you need to put that sinful way aside.