Ephesians 4:21-23 NLT
'Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.'
Some time ago, over a period of months, I lost a considerable amount of weight. One consequence was that my clothes were too large for me and I had to replace them with new outfits.
When we pursue God, metaphorically we change our diet. We no longer feed off the contemporary drivers that inform culture, but invite God to signpost how we are to live. Becoming a Christian is not to accessorise our life, but to completely change our fashion sense. Our lives slowly reflect a set of values that are not instinctive.
The God life demands we pay close attention to our conscience, which is an inbuilt navigation guide. Just as a yacht that has been sailing the globe for some time needs to be taken into dry dock so that the barnacles and other growths can be scraped off to enhance its seaworthiness, so we may need to pay some attention to sensitising our conscience. All too often it has become numb to God through overexposure to the fierce and changing tides of secular culture.
When losing weight, many people encouraged me to keep the clothes that no longer fitted me, convinced I would yo-yo, and put the weight back on. I didn’t take that advice, passing them on to the charity shop. The walk of the disciple is always forward, never backward or circular. The excitement is that we can continuously get to know God better day by day and grow in our appreciation and in the character of our discipleship. Ageing simply means getting closer to God.
QUESTION: How sensitive are you to God’s navigation aid, your conscience?
PRAYER: May I pay attention to you and discard all that gets in the way of our friendship.

Released on 30 Jun 2020