Old and New

Last Saturday, I went to church and cut some wood.  We had an old tree that was dangerously close to the neighbor’s house, so I cut it down.  But that was just the beginning.  Now I have to cut up the wood and split it to get rid of it.  But the way, if you live nearby, stop by to get some free oak firewood.  After I had cut several chunks off of the trunk of the tree, I noticed that my pants were extremely nasty.  The chain saw spit the chips out of the back and onto my pants.  But the chainsaw uses oil to lubricate the bar, and the chainsaw also spit out oil with the chips onto my pants.  By the end of the morning, I was covered in chips and oil.  I drove home and went into the basement door and peeled off my dirty clothes in the garage.  My wife remarked, “A little casual, aren’t we?” as I walked up the stairs (in my underwear) and to the shower.  When I got out of the shower, I put on clean clothes and felt much better.  Hey, Paul talks about putting off the old man and putting on the new man as if he were putting off dirty clothes and putting on clean clothes.  Paul said in Colossians 3:9&10, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”  When we turn our back on the old sinful life, we look towards a new life in Christ.  It is as if we are putting of the old man and putting on the new man.  Jesus gives us the power and ability, but Jesus expects us to “put off the old man” each day and “put on the new man”.  We must cooperate with God and be renewed each day.  Hey, are you more like Christ today than you were yesterday?  I hope so.