So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24 NIV) The apostle Paul instructed the people in the Church of God in Ephesus that since they had accepted Christ, they should strive to move past the old thought patterns and life practices that they were accustomed to practicing. These past practices were signs that they had given themselves over to gratifying their senses. Their practice was that if they could see it, or touch it, smell it, taste it, etc, they would strive for it. Today, its like us having to have extra-large beautiful new houses, new cars, 300+ channel digital cable, dinners at fancy restaurants every night, and designer fashions every day for our clothes. In all ways it would seem that we would be living the life of luxury and yet we would always want even more. But in truth, these things will gratify us only for that moment we purchase them. The car will rust or get stone chips in the paint and it lose its value. The house will require time and devotion in lawn-mowing, painting, cleaning and other upkeep just to stay looking so beautiful. The cable bill, the restaurant tab and the credit card bill for all those extravagances will amount to more than our income. Where, then, will all those pursuits leave us? Unsettled, tired, depressed, and debt ridden. And thats just a few of the results of indulging the deceitfulness of our senses. We will find that those senses lied to us by convincing us that wed be happy if we purchased all of those things. But, Id dare say we would find out otherwise. That is not real living. That is not the heart of our existence. We have been taught from the truth that is in Jesus that we should put off our old selves and be made new in our attitudes. We should seek the higher things in life. Steady the course aimed at maturity in our faith. This will bring satisfaction to our souls. Through faith, we are sure that our hope in Christ will not disappoint us as we practice a lifestyle that brings no future regrets. Our new self was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. No regret can be found there. Righteousness means living uprightly, honestly, and above reproach. Holiness means to be set apart for use to God, much like a pencil is set apart for writing or drawing. Sure, you might try to use a screwdriver as a pencil to draw a picture or write a letter. But it simply wont work. You might even attempt to use it as a hammer. It will fail. Maybe it would work as a javelin, or a vacuum cleaner, or a dogs leash...Of course, I jest. It is to prove a point, however. We have been created to honor God through the practice of righteous and holy living, just as a pencil has been made specifically to record marks on paper. It is in doing the things that we have been created to do that we will find real success, peace, and joy. Let it be stated, if for nothing else but for clarification, that we have no righteousness within ourselves. No man is righteous in himself. Christ is our righteousness. He is our only righteousness. Our practice of living holy and righteous simply means that we look to Him in faith for guidance in what we say and do—and then follow through and do what He says to. Still, however, there are some simple and practical guidelines to follow that will be just that...guide lines...to keep us on the right path toward our calling. Those guidelines are found throughout the Bible. But to find them we must first read it, study it, and then practice what we learn. If we do so, we will move closer to what we were called to be: Imitators of God in true righteousness and holiness. Have a wonderful day in His grace! Ron #intoadeeperfaith #lettheworldknow #devotional #biblestudy
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 12:19:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015