TUESDAY June 11, 2024
Take Off the Grave Clothes
...put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
Interestingly, once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we immediately become alive in Christ and dead to our sins. We live this metaphor: “Take off the grave clothes and put on the grace clothes of God.” Just like when we have changed our clothes, we have had a change of life! We are brand-new people in Christ. Men and women will often say they have no self-control, but in Christ we do! The Lord is now in control of our lives. No longer do we live and talk the way we used to.
If we have been truly changed by the Lord, our public and private lives should be the same––living in holiness. We should not be living a double- standard life. Dr. Billy Graham said:
The Christian should stand out like a sparkling diamond against the rough background. He should be more wholesome than anyone else. He should be poised, cultured, courteous, gracious, but firm in the things that he does and does not do. He should laugh and be radiant, but he should refuse to allow the world to pull him down to its level.
Beautiful words. Jesus said: “We are the light of the world, and the salt of earth” (Matthew 5:14-16). In biblical times, because there was no refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat––it would kill bacteria. Just as salt was useful as a preservative, so our lives should act as a preservative agent in this world. Salt also creates a thirst. As we interact with people, we should also create a thirst for Christ. However, once salt lost its use, it would be thrown onto the ground––this should not be the case for Christians. We need to retain our usefulness.
The man who would truly know God must give time to Him.
~A.W. Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
