NEW YOU, NEW WALK
Ephesians 4:24-30 NKJV
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Paul is now moving from sharing the spiritual truths of the mystery of Christ into more practical information. Spiritual truth is still present, but now the emphasis shifts not only to what has been done in us through Christ but how it Is to play out in our lives.
Paul shares that we are to put on the new man. Thankfully, he does not leave us hanging as to what putting on the new man looks like. Since we have been created to live in true righteousness and holiness what does this look like?
Stop lying. Speak the truth to those around you. This especially applies to those in the body of Christ because we are members of one another. We are connected, so hurting someone else is harmful to us as well.
Be angry, and do not sin. This is a conflict for many believers. Some think we should never get angry. Some are angry but overlook the do not sin part. The good news is that we can be angry and deal with the emotions of anger without taking it out on others. Oh, and don't hold onto your anger. Don't sleep on it. Anger does not age well—anger ages like milk, not wine. And holding onto anger opens the door to the enemy, the devil. Held anger gives him a place, a foothold in our lives.
Don't steal anymore. Instead, do good, honest work so you can have something to give to the person who is in need. There's a different thought. In a day where there was no government aid, the church supported its own. Believers were instructed to work to be able to give. We have to have something to be able to give something.
This verse thirty is a real challenge to the new you, new walk of life. Locking down our mouth. No corrupt words. These are words that are toxic, words that hurt. Instead, our words are to be words that build others up, words that heal. Words that impart grace to those who hear. A side note to this verse is to make sure our words about ourselves are also words that build up and impart grace to us individually. Some people are good with their words to others but speak poorly about themselves. We hear our own words all the time. Speak building up grace-filled words.
Doing these things, especially with right words, we will not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. He is the third person of the Godhead and not an it. He can be blessed with our lives or grieved. Blessed is better.
The list goes on, but that should keep us plenty busy for the next few weeks, months, and years. It's a doable list made for those who have been made new creations in Christ.
PRAYER
Lord, I can do whatever You say I can do. This includes putting a lid on my anger and a lock on my mouth. Thank You for the help of the Holy Spirit. I want Him blessed with my life, not grieved.