Saturday – Ephesians 4:17-24 – Time to Hit the Gym
By Pastor Paul Georgulis
“17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:17-24 (New International Version)
Paul starts off by painting a terrible picture of the Gentiles, but he ends it with hope by saying, “That, however, is not the way of life you learned…” He was essentially saying that the Gentiles were terrible people, but it’s a good thing that the Ephesian believers were not because it was not the way of life that they had learned. He then goes on to remind them of what they were taught by going through what I like to refer to as a superset. In weight lifting, a superset is when you perform one exercise immediately followed by one or two more with no rest in between. This shocks the muscles, allowing for maximum blood flow, which promotes better growth. This can be seen in a spiritual sense when Paul reminds us about putting off our old selves (verse 22), having our minds renewed (verse 23), and putting on our new selves (verse 24). This whole spiritual superset shows a transformation. We once didn’t know Jesus and did things our own way, then we encountered Jesus and He began to renew our mind, and then we began living a new way.
As you look back over the last year or so of your faith journey, do you see a process of change for the better in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions? Although change and transformation may be slow, they come as you trust God to work in your life.
Allow God to transform you. I promise you that it will be one of the best decisions you will ever make.
Prayer:
God, when it comes to physical exercise, we sometimes don’t want to do it. The same is true for this spiritual superset as well. If we’re being honest, we sometimes don’t like change, and this superset is a very big change. So please help us to remember that you are in control and that you know what’s best for us. Help us to remember that you take us through changes because you are shaping, molding, and forming us into the image of your son. You are making us into a masterpiece. Thank you for that.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
