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 . . . (Ephesians 4:22-23, NIV)
I watched people while waiting for a flight to come in yesterday. I sat across from where the passengers were exiting. Guards were posted at the area with signs marked plainly, “DO NOT ENTER.” In fact, a warning sign had been posted at the edge of the exit. Turns out . . . guards and signs mean nothing to several people.
Apparently, the actual entrance is not as appealing as the exit. Some people actually stopped, examined the “DO NOT ENTER” sign, looked at the guards, and proceeded to enter. There were other individuals who physically looked away as if they could not see the guards or signs. Without fail, the guards told each individual not to enter. Believe it or not, each person responded with their special reasons to enter the exit.
Please . . . are you kidding me? Can you believe those people? Umm . . . hold on . . . this is an issue for all of humanity to face. The issue of entering into negative, unhealthy, and even destructive thoughts, discussions, attitudes, and actions must be addressed and assessed . . . all the time . . . in the process of becoming more like Christ.
The Apostle Paul described our new behavior as putting off the old self to be made new . . . in the attitude of our minds. The mind receives and processes the way we will define life. When we are tempted to go back to the way we live without Christ . . . Paul says we must put off the old self. In other words, to be made new requires action.
Put off the old self.
Acknowledge and assess your thoughts, attitude, words, and actions.
Refuse to enter into Christ-less way of thinking, speaking, and acting.
Enter into the thoughts, words, and actions of Christ.
Learning with you to refuse to enter into Christ-less thoughts, words, and actions,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)
