Living Consistent
As a follower of Christ, one of the greatest challenges is living consistent with what Christ has done in us and desires to do through us. This is also true for our children as they face another school year. As young followers of Christ, God has done great and mighty things in them. This new work God started makes it possible for them to now live a life that honors Him. Paul states it this way. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,” (Eph 4:1). The challenge is to live worthy of God’s incredible call to be a follower of Him (cf. Eph 2:1-10). Paul begins using the word “walk” throughout the last half of the book of Ephesians as he makes a case that every believer, including our children as they go back to school, should live consistent in our walk with Jesus Christ.
You are no longer what you used to be.
Before having a personal relationship with Christ, it was impossible to honor Jesus in our daily living. We failed by nature and by action the challenge to live Christlike. The goal elluded us as we went about each day living for self and selfishly rather than for Christ and selflessly.
But this is no longer that case. Now as believers in Christ, God’s power makes it possible to desire and do those things that honor Him. Therefore, we should no longer live the way we used to live (Eph 4:17-19); instead, we should now live for Christ (Eph 4:20-24). God has made this possible because He took our old man away, which was characterized by a slavery to our own desires, and gave us a new man, which is created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. This disposition change makes all the difference in the world.
Put Off – Put On – Grow Daily
God uses the commands to “put off” and to “put on” to help us understand our attitudes, desires, and behaviors after we get saved. As you would consider clothing, you put one thing off and put another thing on. The same idea exists as a Christian. God, when you were saved in Christ, put off your old man and put on your new man. Now, using the same analogy, we each are challenged to put off the old man attitudes, desires, and behaviors and put on the new man attitudes, desires, and behaviors.
Specifically in Ephesians, we are given five specific examples of what it looks like to live consistent as a follower of Christ (Eph 4:25-32). Here are Paul’s five examples:
- Put off lying; Put on truth-telling (Eph 4:25);
- Put off ungodly anger; Put on godly anger (Eph 4:26-27);
- Put off stealing; Put on working with your hands for the benefit of others (Eph 4:28);
- Put off corrupt words; Put on edifying words with impart grace and do not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:29-30);
- Put off bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking with malice; put on kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness like Christ (Eph 4:31-32).
God’s goal is that every day we read the Bible, consider its meaning, and then determine how it applies to living wisely for the glory of God (to be renewed in our minds, Eph 4:23). This process leads to identifying those places that need to be changed, determining best what godliness looks like in those same areas, and then putting forth the effort to live consistent with God’s goals and desires. The “put off – put on – grow daily process” must be discussed, clarified, and practiced with our children as they seek to live in honor of God every day throughout the new school year.God's goal is that every day we read the Bible, consider its meaning, and then determine how it applies to living wisely for the glory of God (to be renewed in our minds, Eph 4:23). Click To Tweet
Key Bible Passages to Help
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,” (Ephesians 4:1).
“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).
“Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:25-32; cf., Col 3:5-17).
Teaching Opportunities for Parents
- Have your child memorize (or better yet, have the entire family memorize) one or two of the key verses above. Be sure you explain them clearly for your child to understand what they mean.
- Take time to pray with your children to ask God to help them remember that change is possible and that God gives them the strength to change.
- Illustration: Pull out some jackets or large shirts to use as your props to explain the put off – put on process. Begin with salvation. Have one jacket represent the old man, and another jacket represent the new man. Place the old man jacket on and describe how the heart can not honor God and how the unbeliever is a slave to serving self for his own glory and lives according to his own desires. Then talk about salvation. When you talk about salvation, describe how God takes the old man off and places the new man on (the second jacket). The new man now gives the believer the possibility of loving and obeying Jesus. This is what happens on the inside of the believer at the spiritual heart. Now use the same illustration to explain how the child is to put off attitudes, desires, thinking, and behavior that does not honor God and replace that with attitudes, desires, thinking, and behavior that does honor God.
- Give your children several scenarios and have them respond with the appropriate answers: for example, if Joey is asked a question and tells a lie, does that represent old man or new man? Why? You can do this with many examples both from Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 as well as examples you come up with on your own.
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