Ephesians 4:22-24 says, 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. When I read this passage I get the image of someone taking off their old, dirty, tattered clothes and putting on clean, new clothes. The old clothes represent our selfish, sinful ways of thinking, speaking and acting. The clean clothes represent Christ-like ways of thinking, speaking and acting. Becoming a Christian is both immediate and a life-long process. You are immediately saved, but becoming like Jesus is a lifelong process. This process is driven by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but it also requires some effort on our part. We have to put off our old self and put on the new self. I believe that we do this through the spiritual disciplines such as reading the Bible, prayer, fasting, worship, gratitude, service, giving, fellowship and confession. What are you going to do today to take off your old clothes and put on new ones?
0 Comments
The words for worship in the Bible mean to bow down, serve, and fear or respect. We often think of worship as singing to God, but that is just one way to express worship. According to www.vocabulary.com, 'to worship is to show a lot of love and adoration for something.'
Ephesians 4:17 says, Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. The previous verses were talking about growing to be like Jesus which is the goal of all believers. Paul warns Christians not to live like unbelievers. When people look at your life, it should be obvious that you belong the Jesus. Paul explains that their thoughts are worth nothing or futile. That's because they worry about money, success, fame, material things, happiness, and themselves. The Bible says that we should fix our minds on the things above (Colossians 3:2) - on God's plans and purposes, loving God and loving others, helping the poor, visiting the sick and lonely, etc. Do you live like a believer or is it a bit hard to tell?
Ephesians 4:13 says, This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. The purpose of the Christian life is to be more like Jesus. A couple of days ago we started looking at the character of Jesus. Here is the rest of the list from https://bible.org:
Are you becoming more like Jesus by producing these traits in your life? Ephesians 4:13 says, This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. This verse relates to verses 11-12 which talk about the purpose of teachers and pastors is to equip God's people to serve. Verse 14 goes further to explain that it also helps us to be spiritually mature and grow more like Christ.
The goal of the Christian is to be more like Jesus. So, what is Jesus like? According to https://bible.org Jesus is:
Are you growing more like Jesus in these characteristics? Part 2 of this study to follow later this week. Ephesians 4:11-12 in the NIV says, So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Here is a brief explanation of these giftings: Apostles - God's delegates, representatives or ambassadors. Prophets - who speak the words of God. Evangelist - who are gifted to teach the Good News of Jesus to non-believers; missionaries. Pastors and Teachers - who shepherd the flock and provide Bible teaching. The purpose of these gifts are to build up the church, in number and maturity. God doesn't give these giftings just to people employed by the church, he gives them to many lay people as well. It's like God gave you a broom - you're not meant to hang it on the wall and admire it, you're meant to use it. What gifts do you think God has given you? How can you use them? Ephesians 4:3 says, Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Peace is important - it's mentioned 249 times in the NIV Bible. Satan loves destroying peace in families, friendships, relationships, churches, communities, and countries. Because the church is made up of broken humans, division creeps in. Things like the type of worship music, the format of the youth group, arguments over doctrine, jealousy, anger, and hurt all cause division. The Apostle Paul urges us to bind ourselves together with peace. How do we do that?
Ephesians 4:1-2 says, I beg you to live the way God’s people should live, because he chose you to be his. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. The way we live should reflect the fact that your are one of God's people. It should affect every aspect of our lives - what we think, what we say, what we do, what we listen to, what we watch, etc.
Verse two tells us four ways to do this:
In Ephesians 3:20 Paul says, God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us. We often underestimate what we can do based on our self limiting beliefs. But, God lives in us and works through us by his Holy Spirit. With him we can do so much more than we can imagine. All of the great men and women of the Bible were just ordinary people like you and me, but God worked through them. He can work through you too.
Here are some more Bible verses about God working through people. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Acts 19:11 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. John 14:12 You move towards what you're looking at. Have you ever tried to walk forwards while you're looking backwards? You go all wonky because you end up walking towards what you're facing. What a you facing (metaphorically)? Are you looking back to your past? Are you looking to the side to the world? Are you looking down at your phone? Or are you looking up, to God?
Here's what the Bible says about looking to Jesus: Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:2 Where are you looking? |
About UsShort and sweet inspirations for Christian teen girls. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|