Responding with Gratitude - Pt. 8

 

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV).

 

Mary and I went to Chedder’s Scratch Kitchen recently for a bite of lunch. We have always found the food tasty and plentiful. In fact, we rarely return home without enough left over for dinner! One of our favorite parts of the meal is the honey-butter glazed croissants they serve prior to the meal. You can see from the picture they are amazing. When we went this last time we were seated quickly and a server came almost immediately to get our drink orders. In the past, the rolls were always served with the drinks, prior to ordering. It is a wonderful way to start a “lunch-date.” This time I was a bit surprised that the server did not bring the rolls with the drinks. We ordered and I asked if she was going to bring us any rolls. She said, “We have a new policy. Our guests need to request the rolls before we bring them to the table.” Well, I did request them, but thought, who wouldn’t want them? It was odd to me.

 

Our Christian life can be like that in some ways. We often do not realize that everything has been provided for us in the grace of God. And we merely need to rely on the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit who already resides within us.

 

As Christians, we are—so to speak—in a new system. We are no longer prisoners of our old lives. Every child of God has a new life in Jesus Christ. We have entered a new reality. In Christ, your old life has been put to death, and you are called into new life. You have received a new nature, conformed to Christ and pleasing to God.

 

This is good news for us all. Instead of feeling weak and powerless against our sinful nature, we can live into the new reality that Christ has paid for everything we need to be saved to new life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live grateful lives that are filled with God’s righteousness and holiness.