"…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."

Someone asked me once "Change for a dollar?" and my reply was, "I wouldn’t even change for a twenty!" What is it about change that causes most of us to shun and even denigrate the smallest of changes? Who doesn’t have their favorite restaurant, with their favorite booth, featuring their favorite meal? Or how about that 20 year-old chair or couch that should have made the dump run five years ago? Okay, who of you still has that rotary telephone or transistor radio? None of these "traditions" are inherently bad as long as they do not reflect our spiritual lives.

Living life as a Christian (for most of us) is more of a process than it is an event. It is a process that does not always ensure that we have the purest of motives, meaningful purpose, or sinless lives. It is not a straight flat road we follow, but more like a road through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, twisting, turning up and down and quite often we are unable to see where we are headed. However, our spiritual road is paved, lined, and with directional signs all provided by the God of Love. We may drive off on the wrong way many times, but through grace He who loves us will guide us to the right destination.

This passage, along with many others, points to the very thing that challenges us, "Put on your new nature" CHANGE! New nature, new cloth, new spirit, it all means CHANGE! Our human nature is to be like water and follow the path of least resistance. Yet, Christ and Paul call us to examine our lives, to love as they did, and to "be like God—truly righteous and holy." We are called to be the uncomfortable, not the comfortable, we are called to serve, not to be served, we are called to be the light in the darkness of the world.

The thing about change for dollar, you can have 4 quarters, 10 dimes, 20 nickels or even 100 pennies and the value is still one dollar. If we change one addiction for another, one bad attitude for a different bad attitude or one sin for another sin there has been no change. When we live as Christ intended for us, when we change out of our old nature and in to that new nature in Christ, that change is priceless.

Prayer for the Day:
Lord, help me today to see the changes you intend for my life. Give me strength to face the changes I need in my life, the courage to follow through and to have a heart of acceptance. Help me to be the person you designed. Amen.