Entry #39 - A New Year for a New You

Welcome to another new year! One of the more popular scripture passages welcoming us to a new beginning is Ephesians 4:22-32.  This passage describes the difference between the old life we lived prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, in contrast with some of the changes we make as a result of following the example Christ set before us. Although the passage contains eleven verses, I have decided to include this text for you since it will be the foundation of today’s blog entry.

Ephesians 4:22-32 (NIV)  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; 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. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

     Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Occasionally when I study a passage of scripture, I begin by jotting down some anecdotal notes on a slip of paper. Sometimes I look up the definition of words—even well-known words—just to see if there is a new angle or perspective to guide my understanding. This is the pattern I used for studying today’s passage and I was quite humbled by what I found. Let’s begin with a simple table of Old Self words in contrast with New Self words.

Words used to describe our OLD SELF	Words used to describe our NEW SELF
deceitful desires	new attitude
falsehoods	righteousness
anger (used twice)	holiness
stealing	truth
unwholesome talk	work
do not grieve the Holy Spirit	useful
bitterness	sharing
rage	helpful
brawling	building others up
slander	kind
every form of malice	compassionate
	forgiving

As a former teacher, I know the value of visual aids. Just looking through the above chart goes a long way to helping us get a clearer picture of how our lives change once we are committed to following the example of Christ. But this is a new year, and I want to take a new look—I want to dig a little deeper.

Taking a cursory glance at the negative words used to describe the Old Self might cause us to say something like: “I’m not deceitful – I don’t steal – and maybe I get angry once in a while, but I don’t rage or go around brawling.” I know you think these things, because I think them, too. Or, at least I did. After taking a closer look at some of these words I quickly see that I have room for improvement this year! Let me show you some of the things I found.

deceitful desires:  This isn’t just a matter of cheating, but it includes other forms of dishonesty such as simply misleading others. Telling “little white lies” are still lies, and still wrong.

falsehoods:  Yes, the focus might well be telling lies. But guess what, it also includes any lack of accuracy. This includes repeating interesting information about someone when you haven’t checked the facts or when you’re not sure if it’s true.

anger:  We probably most often associate this word with hatred or extreme dislike. But anger also includes any strong feelings of displeasure. Is it okay for Christians to be angry? Sure! We are called to always be angered by sin—but not the sinner. Christ is our example of how to love others, even when we are strongly displeased and angered with their wrongful actions.

stealing:  We teach our children that it is wrong to take something that does not belong to them. We teach them stealing is taking something dishonestly or in a secretive manner. We don’t steal. Do we? What about stealing someone else’s time or resources by getting them to do what we should have done?

unwholesome talk: This one is straight-forward. It includes anything harmful to either one’s body or mind. Essentially, it includes all forms of negativity in our speech. But here is some new information. It doesn’t just apply toward others; it also applies to yourself. Stop putting yourself down!

do not grieve the Holy Spirit: When we grieve, it is usually because of the deep sorrow we feel when we lose someone dear to us. But what does it mean to “not grieve” the Holy Spirit? If I’m the one causing grief, I burden someone or cause them sadness. Therefore, I must ask myself, “Do my actions burden or cause sadness?” I suppose to put it more bluntly, “Am I always making messes that the Holy Spirit will have to follow behind me and clean up?”

bitterness: Once we let anger get the best of us; from there, it is a short hop to feeling sharp and disagreeable with others. Bitterness is basically a failure to let go. It’s hanging on to old feelings.

rage: The most common definition of rage is having strong, uncontrolled anger. But it can also include blurting out in haste. The old adage to “think before you speak” can be a great deterrent to rage.

brawling: Honestly, I always figured I was safe with this one because it had to do with people who spend too much time in bars. Guess again. Brawling includes all forms of quarreling, arguing, or loud bickering.

slander: Yes, slander is spreading a falsehood that harms someone’s reputation. But for the Christian, it also includes not coming to the defense of others whom we know are being slandered. When you hear someone speak ill of another person (and you know the truth), what course of action do you take?

every form of malice: Perhaps this is the “catch all” because it includes any action of ill will or spiteful intent. This includes anything from hurting or frustrating others, carrying a grudge, being rude, or acting in an impolite or discourteous manner.

The great news is that these negative words now become the things which no longer have control of our lives. Now we have a new list of words upon which to focus our lives. And to be honest, when we focus on the next list—we will find much less time to be involved in the old list. To me, this is the most encouraging news to improve the new me in the new year! Let’s take a closer look together!

new attitude: I now have a new focus for my mental state and mood—I can focus on following the examples of Christ; studying new passages of scripture and applying them; and at any moment I can pray for guidance and help along the way.

righteousness: My focus is on the things that are upright and just. I once heard a camp counselor explain that righteousness is “being in right-standing with God.”

holiness: To me, only God is truly the Holy One. But my calling to holiness is being set apart from the worldly point of view and striving to be dedicated to following God’s will for my life.

truth: To be truthful is to be honest. However; there seems to be more. It is also taking the time to follow established or verified facts. There is no “fence-sitting” or “straddling-the-fence” with this one.

work: When I take a closer look at this word, it isn’t just a matter of doing something that requires bodily or mental effort. It’s doing something worthwhile that produces results. It’s not giving up. And it is closely tied to the next word.

useful: This is something purposeful and serviceable. The range of activities included are almost limitless and seemingly only hindered by lack of imagination. Baking a pie or taking a casserole to someone in need is a useful activity. Praying for others is a useful activity. Helping a child tie a shoe is a useful activity. Studying God’s word and putting it into practice is a useful activity!

sharing: I always thought I knew what this meant. I always thought sharing was dividing things into equal parts. Well, yes—but that is only part of what it means. Sharing is also joint participation. In other words, it isn’t just simply giving away free stuff—it includes working along beside someone to guide or help them. It includes sharing of intangible things like time, encouragement, and God’s love.

helpful: I am helpful any time that I make it easier for someone else to accomplish or achieve something.

building others up: Regarding my words; do my words in any way improve the lives of others?

kind: Some great synonyms for the word kind include sympathetic, friendly, gentle, benevolent, generous, and cordial. To me, it’s just plain and simply being NICE!

compassionate: Perhaps this word reaches a little deeper for most people. We show compassion when we are inwardly sorrowful for the sufferings or troubles of someone else. How we handle compassion may vary dependent upon our abilities. Some may show compassion by physically lending aid. Others may show compassion by spending quality or undisturbed time in prayer for that individual. Christ did both. It depended on what the situation required, and we are called to follow his example.

forgiving: To forgive is to overlook or cancel a grievance. To truly forgive someone is to give up the desire to punish in any way. In other words, forgetting is also a part of forgiveness. When you think about it, and when you follow the example of Christ—He didn’t just forgive our sins and then secretly promise to “get even” with us some day. The Bible says forgiveness is the “blotting out” of our sins and they are remembered no more. This is the way in which we are to forgive others.

Isaiah 44:25 (NIV)  I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Yes, another new year has arrived. My prayer for you is that 2020 will bring you peace and the blessings of a NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus. The old things are gone; let them go. Focus on your New Life.

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking forward to the Blessed Hope of Christ’s return!