If you ask my husband, he would tell you that perhaps my worst quality is the inability to throw things away. I am not a hoarder but I have a tendency not to throw out my old clothes even after I get new ones. I had a pair of pajamas that I bought when I was in college for my undergraduate degree. I continued to wear them all through grad school and brought them with me to Oklahoma when I got married. I wore them as I rocked my newborn little girl to sleep, even though by now they had holes and the fabric was getting thin. They weren’t particularly special at all, but they were comfortable.
My husband loves buying me pajama sets. Every Mother’s Day and Christmas I am gifted pajamas, even on random shopping days he points out pajamas for me to purchase. I have all of these new pajamas tucked away in my closet, most only worn once or twice because I still reach for my old pair from my college days.
One day my husband sat me down for an intervention. His tone was firm but one of love. “ I was hoping you would get the hint… these pajamas are literally falling apart. You bought them over 10 years ago when you were a broke college student. Now you are an adult. You can buy real pajamas and wear them.” We laughed and agreed that it was time to get rid of my old pajama pants.
I think often this is how we live as Christians. We invite Jesus into our lives and keep Him in the corner of our hearts, but we still live like we used to because it’s hard for us to fully throw that life out. The old life may have been toxic and broken but it is familiar and therefore comfortable.
But Jesus has paid the price and offers us a brand new life. A renewal of our heart and soul where everything changes.
Christianity is not just an addition of Christ to your life where we think differently about some things, add church attendance to your week, and find a way to not sin as much or be a nicer person.
No, it is a full-on transformation. Everything changes.
“I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 MSG
Like any good transformation, there has to be a removal and replacement that takes place. A true renovation process begins with gutting a house of the outdated and broken, not simply painting everything white to cover it up. We can’t simply change our external behavior to look more like Jesus; we have to let Him renew our hearts from corruption and self-centeredness. This new heart that Jesus offers is what allows us to be sensitive to God’s voice, convicted of sin, and desire to live a life pleasing to God.
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
This is a daily choice, not a one-time decision. As my husband with a firm and loving tone reminded me, I pray that you would hear the voice of Christ, reminding you of who you are today and that He would lead you to take the steps of getting rid of the unhealthy and ill-fitting things of your past so you can put on Christ.
absolutely right– we are slowly being made completely NEW– Praise God
Yes! Such great news!
It’s so much easier to see this sort of thing in others…because we love to hold onto what we love to hold onto, even when it doesn’t make complete sense :). In other words…I understand!! What a wonderful challenge to consider, Simi–to remember who God tells us we are, to receive what we already have, and to get rid of those things that don’t serve us best anymore.
This devotion “fits”
Simi,
My old church did communion each week. Someone did a devotion & then we took the bread & drink. It wasn’t rote for me. I began truly visualizing what Jesus did for me on the cross. It often made me cry. Now I go to a different church. We play some of the new contemporary songs. I let the words sink deep into my soul. Some songs seem to make me cry. Over the last few years God has done a work on & in me. You will see a changed person. Some of the “old crap” is gone. Oh I still mess up some, but I know all I have to do is go to Jesus & pray asking for forgiveness.
Blessings 🙂