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Articles
Renewed
"...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." Ephesians 4:22-24
The signs of Spring are all around us. It's such an exciting time of year. The days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. The trees that shed their leaves last fall are quickly filling out their branches with new, vibrant green leaves. Here in Indiana, we're spending more time outside. Baseball and soccer seasons are underway, lawns are getting a facelift, and gardens will soon be planted.
In a sense, a Christian's life should always reflect the signs of Spring. The habits of the "old man" should've been shed long ago like those leaves in the fall. In place of our former conduct, we should reveal signs of renewal and growth.
Unlike the trees around you, you are in control of such changes in your life. Change is hard. Old habits are hard to break. It starts with your way of thinking. You have to stop thinking your own way, and start thinking Christ's way. "But you have not so learned Christ," we read in Ephesians 4:20. Have you really learned Christ? The answer is revealed in whether or not you have put off the old man and put on the new man. This verse provides various challenges depending on our stage of life.
Have you become a Christian in the past few years? If so, you've likely had to make some difficult changes recently. You have made changes, haven't you? Or, do you still have dead brown leaves from the autumn clinging to your branches? Have you ever seen a tree in the Springtime with new green leaves alongside old, dead, brown leaves? That just wouldn't look right! A tree cannot grow new leaves where dead leaves are still attached. Yet some Christians cling to aspects of their former conduct. You cannot fully put on the new man unless the old man is fully put off.
Have you been a Christian for a long time? Could it be that you have developed other corrupt habits over time? Surely you haven't grown complacent or lukewarm over the years, have you? Have you maintained your fervent love for the Lord from your youth? You have not grown prideful over the years, but maintained your humility, right? Or, could it be as time has gone on, even as you have "learned Christ," you have developed some unrighteous traits along the way?
How do you need to be "renewed in the spirit of your mind" today? We all have challenges. We are all striving to be sanctified through Christ. Doing so requires all of us to change from time to time. Being renewed is not a one time thing. II Corinthians 4:16 says "the inward man is being renewed day by day." Let that be true of each of us.
