6 March • Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent
Ephesians 4:17-30
7 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Meditation
The mindset of non-believers is not God-centred. They think and walk in a worldly manner. They do not see the futility of their minds because their understanding has been darkened. Their conduct tends to be sensual, greedy and impure. In the ever-changing world, the manner of life of non-believers becomes increasingly corrupt. This is how God views them.
That was where we were before we came to Christ. Have we changed or are we still the same?
As disciples of Christ, our walk and thoughts should be different from that of the non-believers. We are in Christ and we are a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). We must no longer walk like the way we did before our conversion.
The Holy Spirit indwells us and renews the spirit of our mind. The truths of Christ transform our thinking. God will cause that to happen. For our part, we welcome the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We do not grieve Him. We allow God’s word to abide with us. We act upon the Word of God.
Our new selves should be visible to God and to others. We have a part to play. We put on the new self. People will see our conduct and hear what we say. Check whether you are putting on the new self by reference to the passage before us. Do you speak truthfully and with integrity? Do you have an anger issue? What is your work ethics like? Do you practice social responsibility? Do you speak with wisdom? Are you gracious and edifying? Let these questions be a checklist.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, please continue Your work of renewal in my life. Lord, sanctify me with Your word. Father, help me in the things that I must do to become more like Christ in righteousness and holiness. Amen.
Action
Use the checklist above to identify one area in your life that you want to act upon today.
Pastor Lawrence Chua
Senior Pastor
Living Sanctuary Brethren Church
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