“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24

Being in a relaxed state on a Sunday afternoon, my wife said, “I’m going to go clean the front patio.” I should have seen it coming. Every year about this time we get out there to sweep away the crud that has blown in from elsewhere. Leaves, sand, and dirt make it unsightly. And since company is coming over, she likes to make it look better. Being married for 4+ decades, I know that ‘I’ means ‘we.’ So out ‘we’ went.

Please don’t get me wrong. She wasn’t ordering me to help. It’s just a thing WE do semi-annually… and it was time. Grabbing a broom I started sweeping away. When I got out to the end of the patio and turned back, I saw there was even MORE crud behind the stuff she had moved. The difference between a man and woman ‘cleaning’ is simple. Women add ‘rearranging’ to ‘clean’ as an adverb! It’s just part of the deal. I went to get the blower!

There must be a class on running a leaf blower, as I have seen MANY people use them effectively. Me? Not so much. As many hours as I have put behind this baby, I should be a pro. But when I looked back, a lot of the stuff I blew ahead somehow ended up BEHIND me! It took 3 more tries to get a C+ rating. But to me, it was ‘good enough!’

God is not interested in ‘good enough.’ He wants ’perfect!’ In sharing the Gospel with folks I often hear, ‘I’m a good person,’ And I cringe. When my kids were growing up, a C+ was not acceptable. And while they have survived the scars from my harping… the Bible tells me that there is NO way ‘I’ can survive the scars of my sin to meet God’s perfect standard of excellence!

The command to ‘put on the new self’ only comes AFTER a ‘new self’ is created … by Christ. Unlike a new suit, it starts with a new heart and proceeds from the inside out. And Jesus Chris is the ONLY expert at it’s application. My job is to simply co-operate… which is NOT so simple!

I thank God for His Grace. Even though I am supposed to be a ‘grown-up,’ I still have spats and fits with trying to clean myself up. When I make an attempt to ‘Whoosh’ away my own failure, I find it only leaves a dirty trail of guilt! WHY He keeps loving and working with me is ‘The wonder of His love!’ He NEVER STOPS LOVING ME!

I thank and praise God for the Gift of His PERFECT son Jesus Christ! Don’t you?