An in-house day today with Faith leading and Jane speaking.

Jane posed a few questions to get us thinking! “When was the last time you had a good clear out of your wardrobe?” “Do you have what you would call, ‘old friends’ lurking in there that you can’t bear to part with or have kept ‘just in case’?” “Is there anything that needs to go?”

Jane’s reading was Ephesians 4 v 17-32 (NIV) focusing on verses 22-24, where the instruction is to put off the old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, and to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

If we know Jesus, really know Jesus, we have been made new – we are new creations and have been born again of the spirit of God. We need to put off our old humanity like a rotten garment and put on, like clean and new clothing, our new humanity recreated in God’s image, and live a life worthy of our calling which is honourable to God in terms of our attitude, our speech and lifestyle.

We looked at some of the things in  Ephesians 4 that Paul says we should put off, and were challenged to think about anything in our lives that had to go and not just what is in our wardrobes and drawers!

Jane concluded with some verses from Colossians 3 – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Our closing song was the Marilyn Baker chorus, Jesus, you are changing me and we sang this as a prayer.

Jesus, You Are Changing Me
By Your Spirit, You’re Making Me Like You
Jesus, You’re Transforming Me
That Your Loveliness May Be Seen In All I Do
You Are The Potter And I Am The Clay
Help Me To Be Willing To Let You Have Your Way
Jesus, You Are Changing Me
As I Let You Reign Supreme Within My Heart