I came to know Christ at a young age, so I don’t have many memories of life before knowing Him. And yet, I still have an old self to put off. I still have deceitful desires, and I still need a new attitude that is centered on Christ. As we walk with Christ, we are sanctified, and we start to look more and more like Him. But we are still human, and we still live in this world, and we are still tempted to desire things that are not of God.
However, the longer I walk with Jesus, the easier it is to refocus when I look away. I hear his voice more clearly. I remember seasons when He walked close to me and led me out of a valley. He has made me new, and his mercies are new each morning.
Have you ever taken off cold, wet clothes and then put on something warm and dry? That is the image I think of when Paul says “to pull off your old self”. My old self is heavy, uncomfortable, and can make me sick if I stay in it too long. My new self is comforting, light, and warm. Why would I choose to stay in those cold, wet clothes when I know I have access to something warm and dry?
Following Jesus changes our mind, body and soul. That change from old to new allows us to “be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” It is not our power. Christ in us renews our mind and cloaks us in His righteousness and His holiness as we learn to walk with Him.
Lord, we take off our old self and choose to put on our new self each day. Show us today what deceitful desires we need to lay down so that we can take up our new selves. We want to take off what is hindering us and put on what brings us close to you. God, thank you for seeing us through the righteousness we receive through your son Jesus. It is in His name we pray, Amen.