As breezes come with more of a chill and scarves begin to be more of a necessity, I usually enjoy winter, even though it comes late in Houston. When I sifted through storage to find warmer clothes for winter, I realized that some things simply did not fit or were worn out. What things are in our hearts or lives that, on second look, don't really reflect who God is or how God created us to be?
In the verse above, Paul encouraged believers to put some things aside, such as anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech. They were a part of our old life, when we were apart from Christ. With Christ, He is able to give us the strength to walk away from those things, because they aren't from Him. Are there some things like that in your life that would be better thrown out?
As for God, our greatest trust is in Him and His ways. Let's allow Him to work through us and reach out to those who don't know Him yet. It can be a healthy exercise to take off things that come between our relationship between us and God, as well as those things that come between our relationship with others. Let's pray that our hearts and actions show a great witness to what God can do in a life.
God, thanks for Your forgiveness. Help us take off things that don't add up to honoring You. Help us learn more about You and reflect more of who You are. Amen.
Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo from http://nmppremiercleaning.co.uk/info/winter-clothes/
