Our verse for today comes from Ephesians 4:22-24, “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
History has a way of repeating itself, we are told. As you go through school and encounter different history classes, the teachers will invariably say how the demise of one nation was carried out again in the fall of another. Even within our lifetimes, we see fashions cycle back around, business trends come and go and come back again, and even morals and principles get dismissed and resurface as if new for the very first time. Our ancestors in Israel practically made a name for themselves in their repeated turns of following God, turning their backs on Him, being disciplined, and then returning to His ways. Whether in our successes or failures, we don’t seem to be a very original bunch. And as individuals, we know this all too well, don’t we? I dare say that a fault or sin you commit today will not be the first time that particular wrong has tripped you up. But the good news in Jesus is that our failures and trespasses belong to the old self. They are part of our old way of life, and we can put them off and put on our new self, which God created to be holy.
Some of us may struggle with doubting God’s ability to care for us. That is not your new self, so let your renewed mind believe in the provisions of a God who can speak anything into existence. Some may still wrestle with anger. That belongs to your old ways, so let your renewed mind accept the imperfections of others and the inconveniences that life brings. Still others may succumb to lust or bodily temptation. That is the way of your former corrupt life, so let your renewed mind guide you to treat your body as a holy dwelling place of the pure and clean Savior. Regardless of the sin that we commit, we must not believe that we are hopeless to overcome it. And we most certainly must not accept that it’s not worth the battle. The past can seem to be powerful. But it doesn’t have to be. Don’t let yesterday’s defeat control your today. This new day is made for your new self.
As we seek Him today, look forward to a wonderful day of enjoying your new self. Remind yourself that your old ways have no power over you. Ask God for victories today, knowing that they come only after the struggle.
Have a great Thanksgiving week, enjoy the holiday, and I will be with you again next Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
