That whine is really most unbecoming. And we do this in so many ways and times. For the Christian it really should never pass our lips … but it does even though we are told to take off the old man and put on the new man…
“If in fact you have [really] heard Him and have been taught by Him, just as truth is in Jesus [revealed in His life and personified in Him], that, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude]”
[Ephesians 4:21-23, AMP]
“Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.” (MSG)“Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self—” [Colossians 3:9–10]
“We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.”
[Romans 6:6]“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” [Hebrews 12:1–3]
The multiplicity of verses on what we need to do to control our Me-ism, our old self, ways of acting, thinking points on what IS important. We are in a refining process but we aren’t in this alone. We may do the doing, but we have a helper to assist and come along side so that we are successful.
There are a number of ‘take aways’:
- We do the doing – but remember that the Lord never asks us to do something we can’t accomplish
- There is an order – we take OFF FIRST and then begin the process of putting on
- The location of this change – in the spirit of your mind or a life renewed from the inside
For me, another positive is that all this is a process. No one is born again and then immediately becomes mature. We will make mistakes, we will sin, but we also have 1 John 1:9 that provides a way back into relationship.
If your question is how to do the taking off/putting on… or maybe you question why this is even necessary. The answers are found in scripture. One is: Philippians 2:12, another is 2 Timothy 3:16, another – Ephesians 2:10, and Romans 12:1. And the list goes on. Part of this is refocusing away from our own meeee. The Lord is with and for us – Hebrews 13:5.
We have switched allegiances when we accepted the free gift of salvation that can only come from a belief in and acceptance of Jesus – who He was, what He did, what He continues to be and do – AND our only way to God. Our old allegiance was to the devil (the only other option and if we aren’t in the Book of Life we are in the devil’s) and that former allegiance needed breaking for our sake, for our knowledge, and for satan’s – he no longer has a right to us.
The incredible joy is when we begin to see not meeee but who the Lord sees in us and the grace and mercy that’s extended to us (Hebrews 4:14-16) we KNOW
“What is man that You are mindful of him,” Psalm 8:4
“Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the palms of My hands;” Isaiah 49:16
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own];” Jeremiah 1:5
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].
John 3:16-18
You always were in the mind and heart of God. He chose to be in relationship with His creation. What more meeee do we want?
