The Wonderful Exchange

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your  old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made  new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created  to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."  Ephesians 4:22-24
 

I have been studying the fruit of the Spirit that Paul wrote about in Galatians 5.  It is amazing to see what the life of Christ will produce in our lives as we surrender our life to Him.  It is difficult to fully understand the transition that takes place in our hearts as we open our hearts to the strength of the Word as well as the influence of the Spirit.  We can look back at amazement in our life as well as the lives of our family and friends as we identify the change that has taken place in each of us.  I am thankful that God has not given up on me but He continues to provide the transformation that I so desperately need.  We are a work in progress and we can see the effects of the fruit that is being produced in our individual lives.  We can also rejoice in the fact that others recognize the fruit that our life is producing.  I saved the following words from a devotion that I once read.  The words spoke to my heart and I trust that they will speak to your heart.

 

"There is a great exchange that takes place when a person places their faith in Jesus Christ. Their old way of living is replaced with living for the Lord. Their old way of thinking is replaced with thinking on the truth of Jesus. Their old way of speaking is replaced with speech that is sprinkled with the grace of God. The old has passed, the new has come.

 

The life of Christ becomes the life of the follower of Christ. No longer are we led down the dead-end road of unrighteousness, but we are set free to journey down the less traveled road of righteousness. We give up what we could not keep—our life on earth, in exchange for what we can keep—eternal life in heaven. To a watching world it seems foolish to give up for God, but what we get from God—forgiveness, peace and love—is true life."