To my readers,
Last summer I worked for a church under the title of ‘slave;’ though you may call this position at your church an ‘intern.’ When I say slave, it isn't because of anything negative, but rather because we were worked hard. This job taught me how to work harder than I had ever worked before. This hard work builds a type of character that you cannot learn from a textbook. However, during these many days of manual labor, I found myself dripping with sweat. Remember, this is in the middle of the Texas summer outside of Houston. If someone were to have rung my shirt out, Houston would have had flash flood warnings. I was proud of this- I had worked hard and it showed.
On one occasion, my boss walked up to me and jokingly asked, “Why don’t you change into a dry shirt on and off throughout the task at hand?”
I found his question odd at first because in my mind, the next shirt would end up equally as sweaty because I still had work to do. I figured that I could change into a dry shirt when I had finished. Out of the blue, he gave me a couple of t-shirts. “These are just rag for t-shirts don’t worry about getting them dirty. You’ll feel much better once you take off that sweaty shirt and put on a drier cleaner shirt. Trust me.” We laughed and I continued back to work in the heat of the day.
Eventually, the sun and the labor had run its course. I was drenched. I went to change shirts and what I found was incredible. When I put on the newer drier shirt, I was a new man. I felt refreshed, clean, renewed. The dirty old shirt was gone. This gave me an entire extra skip in my step. It rejuvenated me. I found myself having more positive energy and a desire to work even harder than I had already been.
What I find interesting is in the Bible, we find a similar concept in a letter Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Paul writes,
“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. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:21-24, NLT.
While Paul isn’t saying to take off a dirty shirt, he is talking about us taking off our old, dirty, and sinful nature. For those of use who have a relationship with Jesus, we know the lifestyle Jesus calls us to live, and yet we still find ourselves falling back into our past ways of life. Our old ways of life before Jesus are as good to us as a sweaty shirt. Its useless, nothing more than dirty rags.
Notice how Paul doesn’t focus on the removal of the old nature. He simply says, throw it off. Let it go. He doesn't say focus on removing the junk constantly and things will be fixed. The focus isn’t the fight of our old nature but rather on Jesus. And as we focus on Jesus and letting Him be our desire; the Spirit is free to move within us. The Holy Spirit is the clean dry shirt after working hard in the heat of the day. It renews us and empowers us to continue working hard day in and day out. It’s the Holy Spirit that will guide us along the path, telling us the road to take in order to follow Jesus.
Remove the sweaty shirt-our old nature. They’re nothing more than dirty rags. Put on the new dry shirt- focusing on Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to move within you. Whatever it is, it’s gone. Paid for on the cross by Jesus Christ. Paul writes another letter later saying, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone and the new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT. He has already paid the cost of our new life, but it means we must lose our old ways. Focusing on Him means not focusing on ourselves and our selfish desires. We must let it all go. What’s keeping you from putting on the dry clean shirt in your life?
Simply,
Tex G.M. Rule
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone and the new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT.
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