“…since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.”
There is a key phrase in this week’s verse. I think that it is something that many people just go past without much thought. That phrase, “with its practices”.
Put off the old self with its practices
Prior to the scripture selected, Paul admonishes us to “put to death what belongs to your earthly nature” (v. 5) and then goes on to list several things that we struggle with as humans.
When we put our faith in Jesus, we become a new creation. We are saying that we are putting the old sinful self aside, and are now beginning to follow God. That means our practices, the things we do, as well. If we continue is sin and doing things our way, then we have not started to follow God – we are still following the one we were following before.
If you remove something, then sometimes there can be a void. An emptiness that needs to be filled. The void that is left when we put our old self and practices aside is filled by our new practices as we are renewed in knowledge as we realize that we were made in the image of God and the Fruit of the Spirit begins to grow in us.
In the spring we see the new growth in nature around us. Do the people around you see the new growth in you as you follow Jesus?
Discussion Questions:
- What are some old practices that you have put away since you began following Jesus?
- What have you learned since you began following Jesus?
End in prayer thanking God for the new life that we have in Him.
