You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self… 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, NLT)
In my bag I have a TaylorMade driver that was black two models before they went white, then grey, back to white, then black again. But if you think I’m opposed to change, I’m not—I have been through three headcovers for it!
I actually was custom fit for this driver in the spring of 2010 and went on to play the best golf of my life with it. I know the manufacturers have made many newer models since then and believe there is probably a driver out there that is more perfect for me and goes further and straighter, but I have become very comfortable with what I’ve got.
How about you, have you grown comfortable with the old?
No, not with your old golf clubs. I am now talking about the old you. Are you still dragging along a sinner with all the same flaws you had years ago?
For those who think the Christian faith is boring or antiquated, here’s a news flash: God is in the business of making things new and exciting. Go back and read today’s verses. God doesn’t want any of the old you. So you know what Jesus did when he went to the cross? He took the old you with him! He took all of your greed, lust, doubt, deceit, jealousy, pride, and all the other ugly things. So why are you still using them?
God no longer sees anything wrong with you or anything he doesn’t like. He disliked those things so much more than you do that he took care of them for you almost 2,000 years ago. When Jesus was buried, so were you, and when he rose from the dead, so did you. So why are you still plugged in to the dead version of you?
The problem with a lot of us is not our theology and how we see God, it’s what we think about ourselves. The Bible doesn’t teach us how to work on our sin, as many of us try to do. Rather, it teaches us how to work on our righteousness. That is what discipleship of Jesus is all about.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his disciples “to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). His goal for us was a new identity, and with it a new life. He desires to transform us, not manage us.
I’ll ask it again in golf language: Which driver are you playing life with? Your old one, or the new one you were given when you died and rose to life with the Savior?
If you think grace is just what was given to you to cover your sins for salvation, you might only be getting a small dose of what God wants to give you here on earth. My hope is that you will go to the Lord regularly for a new fitting and seek the grace that is also the empowering presence of a God who enables you to be like him because of the cross.
Remember, he is in the business of making things new, and so I am confident that he doesn’t want to wait for you to breathe your last breath here on earth to start the process with you.
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Josh Nelson
September 21, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.