Bondman

Message #53

I and ME

Part 2 (Click for Part 1)


I agree!!

Heaven's gonna be SO good cos our salvation will be fully and finally 'completed' then, with the old man of sin/our sinful nature finally gone! I can't wait for this because the "I/me" that has dogged me all my life, will at last be DONE WITH/NO MORE/GONE FOREVER!!! Wow, what a day THAT'S gonna be! *did I say I can't wait? hehe*

Until then though there's GOOD NEWS!! - very important for us to dig right into!! Okay we see clearly that our sin nature is still with us, trapping us into worldly attitudes and living - but meantime we have received from God "the new man" (as opposed to "the old man"), which Paul referred to as "a brand new creation" in 2 Corinthians Ch 5:17. And further, let's look closely at THIS AMAZING PASSAGE:

Ephesians Ch 4
21 Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

So this is ACTION that WE have to take!! God is telling us:

Verse 21: IF we really ARE Christ's man or woman

Verse 22: then we must get rid of the old nature which was so full of selfish lusts and desires, and even being DELUDED about how we're really living! - and then

Verse 23: ensure that we are constantly being renewed in our attitude of mind and heart (by focusing on things of God to do with the Spiritual realm, NOT on things of earth that are around us, and that we're still trapped into wanting);

Verse 24: as well as refusing to give in to our old self-centered and sinful "I/me" nature (verse 22), we must also daily put on the NEW man, the NEW nature that we got when we submitted our life to Christ, i.e., the REGENERATED man within us, which is actually created in God's image being a new man of righteousness and holiness. (See also Messages 34 and 35)

So for the serious Christian it's no longer living like the world around us at all! Our Christian life is to be characterised by NEWNESS and DIFFERENCE! We are to be centered in Jesus, focused on Father God, and our lives CLEARLY demonstrating right-living (righteousness) as well as holiness (i.e., the whole of our lives showing as being set aside as HIS and for HIM)!

I find this all INCREDIBLY EXCITING!! I see this as me being able to be RELEASED from the worldly and selfish things of my former life to now live a life of INCREASING righteousness, holiness and godliness - just like He wants for us!

"God please guide us all to this new life you've so astonishingly provided for us!"

BM, with his Lady

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