“Do not lie to one
another, since you
have put off the old
man with his deeds,
and have put on the
new man who is
renewed in knowledge
according to the image
of Him who created
him. . .Therefore, as
the elect of God, holy
and beloved, put on
tender mercies,
kindness, humility, meekness,
longsuffering; . .
.But above all these things,
put on love, which is
the bond of perfection.”
Colossians 3:9-14
(NKJV)
Spring is finally here and I’m looking forward to putting
away my thick sweaters, heavy coat and other winter gear, and putting on my
spring clothing. In the above passage,
Paul talks about putting off the old man and putting on the new man, as if they
are garments. And he makes it seem easy,
like we just go to the closet and get rid of our old clothes, take our new
outfit and don it.
I don’t know about you, but I often struggle with living
according to my new nature and not letting my old flesh have its way. Thankfully, Paul admits he struggles with
this too: “For I know that in me (that
is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how
to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not
do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (Romans 7:18-19,
NKJV) This gives me encouragement.
True believers have the Holy Spirit living within us and
that gives us power in this putting off and putting on. And when we stumble and make a mistake, go to
the Lord and tell Him about it. But don’t
stay in defeat—that’s a tactic the enemy likes to use to keep us down and
ineffective. Trust that Christ, who is “the
author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV), has begun a good work
in us and He will complete it (Phil. 1:6).
Our sanctification in His hands. So let’s rejoice in our gracious Lord as we put
on our new clothes daily—tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,
longsuffering, love. Spring is a season
of hope and our spiritual garments should reflect the blessed hope we have in
Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).