Ephesians 4:22-24 - Gods Goal: Your Character, Not Your Comfort.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT) throw off your old
sinful nature and your former way of life, which is
corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the
Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on
your new nature, created to be like God - truly
righteous and holy.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (MSG) Take on an
entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a
life renewed from the inside and working itself
into your conduct as God accurately reproduces
his character in you.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Many religions and philosophies promote
the old lie that humans are divine or can become
gods. Let me be absolutely clear: You will never
become God or even a god.
That prideful lie is Satans oldest
temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they
followed his advice, they would be as gods
(Genesis 3:5 KJV).
This desire to be a god shows up every
time you try to control your circumstances, your
future, and the people around you. But youre a
creature; you will never be the Creator. God doesnt
want you to become a god; he wants you to become
godly. He wants you to develop his values,
attitudes, and character.
You are meant to take on an entirely
new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life
renewed from the inside and working itself into your
conduct as God accurately reproduces his character
in you (Ephesians 4:22-24 The Message).
Gods ultimate goal for your life on
Earth is not comfort but character development. He
wants you to grow spiritually and become like
Christ.
Becoming like Christ does not mean losing
your personality or becoming a mindless clone.
God created your uniqueness, so he certainly
doesnt want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all
about transforming your character, not your
personality.
God wants you to develop the kind of
character described in the Beatitudes of Jesus
(Matthew 5:1-2), the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23), Pauls great chapter on love (1
Corinthians 13), and Peters list of the
characteristics of an effective and productive life (2 Peter
1:5-8).
When you forget that character is one of
Gods purposes for your life, you will become
frustrated by your circumstances. You may wonder,
Why is this happening to me? Why am I having
such a difficult time? One answer is that life
is supposed to be difficult! Its what
enables you to grow.
Many Christians misinterpret Jesus
promise of an abundant life (John 10:10) to mean
perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant
happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant
relief from problems through faith and prayer.
They expect the Christian life to be
easy. They expect heaven on Earth.
This self-absorbed perspective treats God
as a genie who simply exists to serve you in
your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But
God is not your servant. If you fall for the
idea that life is supposed to be easy, you will
either become severely disillusioned or live in
denial of reality.
Never forget that life is not about you!
You exist for Gods purposes, not vice versa.
Why would God provide heaven on Earth when
hes planned the real thing for you in eternity?
Spend your time on Earth preparing for heaven by
building your Christlike character. [Daily Devotional
by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
No man receives holiness as a birthright, or
as a gift from any other human being. Holiness
is the gift of God through Christ. Those who
receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His
spiritual children, born again, renewed in
righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are changed.
With clearer vision they behold eternal
realities. They are adopted into God's family, and they
become conformed to His likeness, changed by His
Spirit from glory to glory. From cherishing supreme
love for self, they come to cherish supreme love
for God and for Christ 6BC 1117
The grace of Christ is essential every day,
every hour. Unless it is with us continually, the
inconsistencies of the natural heart will appear and the
life will present a divided service. The
character is to be full of grace and truth. Wherever
the religion of Christ works, it will brighten
and sweeten every detail of life with more than
an earthly joy and a higher than earthly peace.
6BC1117
When we submit ourselves to Christ, the
heart is united with His heart, the will is merged
in His will, the mind becomes one with His
mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to
Him; we live His life. This is what it means to
be clothed with the garment of His
righteousness. COL312
CLOSING THOUGHT
You Cant Change by Accident
Change requires making choices. Its
not enough to dream of changing. Its not
enough to desire change. In order for you to
change, you will need to make a decision. You must
choose to change.
Change is intentional: Are you going to
be any different in six months? Are you going
to be better a year from now? Are you going to
be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Are
you going to be happier? Are you going to be in
less debt? Are you going to be more like God
wants you to be?
I can tell you the answer right now: It
will only happen if you choose to change, because
it isnt going to happen accidentally. You
need to think ahead to where you need to be at
the end of this year and where you need to be in
three years, six years, and a decade from now. I
want you to be better in 10 years than you are
today, but you wont be unless you choose to be.
Change requires a choice.
A lot of times we think were waiting
on God to change us. No, you are not waiting on
God. God is waiting on you! Hes waiting on you
to say, Yes, Lord, Im willing to make
these changes.
We have to make intentional choices in
order to grow. There is no growth without change,
there is no change without loss, and there is no
loss without pain. If you are going to grow, you
will have to change, and change means you let go
of some old things and grab hold of some new
things.
Its like swinging on a trapeze: The
trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then she
has to reach out and grab the other bar. At some
point, shes got to let go of one to grab the
other, or shes not going to make it to the other
side. If she thinks she can hold on to both, what
happens? She gets stuck in the middle, and shes
going down.
Perhaps youre stuck in the middle, and
youre going down because you havent let go of
old patterns, old habits, and old ways of
thinking. You have to let go of your old ways.
The Bible says, Throw off your old
sinful nature and your former way of life
(Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those
old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns,
those old sins in your life - let them go. The
Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is
working in you to will and to act in order to
fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2:13 NIV).
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Ephesians 4:22-24 - In Step With God.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200306-0903.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
