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Ephesians 4:22-24 - Gods Goal: Your Character, Not Your Comfort.

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT) throw off your old 
sinful nature and your former way of life, which is 
corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the 
Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on 
your new nature, created to be like God - truly 
righteous and holy. 

Ephesians 4:22-24 (MSG) Take on an 
entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a 
life renewed from the inside and working itself 
into your conduct as God accurately reproduces 
his character in you.  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Many religions and philosophies promote 
the old lie that humans are divine or can become 
gods. Let me be absolutely clear: You will never 
become God or even a god. 
   That prideful lie is Satans oldest 
temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they 
followed his advice, they would be as gods 
(Genesis 3:5 KJV). 
   This desire to be a god shows up every 
time you try to control your circumstances, your 
future, and the people around you. But youre a 
creature; you will never be the Creator. God doesnt 
want you to become a god; he wants you to become 
godly. He wants you to develop his values, 
attitudes, and character. 
   You are meant to take on an entirely 
new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life 
renewed from the inside and working itself into your 
conduct as God accurately reproduces his character 
in you (Ephesians 4:22-24 The Message). 
   Gods ultimate goal for your life on 
Earth is not comfort but character development. He 
wants you to grow spiritually and become like 
Christ. 
   Becoming like Christ does not mean losing 
your personality or becoming a mindless clone. 
God created your uniqueness, so he certainly 
doesnt want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all 
about transforming your character, not your 
personality. 
   God wants you to develop the kind of 
character described in the Beatitudes of Jesus 
(Matthew 5:1-2), the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 
5:22-23), Pauls great chapter on love (1 
Corinthians 13), and Peters list of the 
characteristics of an effective and productive life (2 Peter 
1:5-8). 
   When you forget that character is one of 
Gods purposes for your life, you will become 
frustrated by your circumstances. You may wonder, 
Why is this happening to me? Why am I having 
such a difficult time? One answer is that life 
is supposed to be difficult! Its what 
enables you to grow. 
   Many Christians misinterpret Jesus 
promise of an abundant life (John 10:10) to mean 
perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant 
happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant 
relief from problems through faith and prayer. 
   They expect the Christian life to be 
easy. They expect heaven on Earth. 
   This self-absorbed perspective treats God 
as a genie who simply exists to serve you in 
your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But 
God is not your servant. If you fall for the 
idea that life is supposed to be easy, you will 
either become severely disillusioned or live in 
denial of reality. 
   Never forget that life is not about you! 
You exist for Gods purposes, not vice versa. 
Why would God provide heaven on Earth when 
hes planned the real thing for you in eternity? 
Spend your time on Earth preparing for heaven by 
building your Christlike character. [Daily Devotional 
by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

COMMENTARY

No man receives holiness as a birthright, or 
as a gift from any other human being. Holiness 
is the gift of God through Christ. Those who 
receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His 
spiritual children, born again, renewed in 
righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are changed. 
With clearer vision they behold eternal 
realities. They are adopted into God's family, and they 
become conformed to His likeness, changed by His 
Spirit from glory to glory. From cherishing supreme 
love for self, they come to cherish supreme love 
for God and for Christ 6BC 1117 

The grace of Christ is essential every day, 
every hour. Unless it is with us continually, the 
inconsistencies of the natural heart will appear and the 
life will present a divided service. The 
character is to be full of grace and truth. Wherever 
the religion of Christ works, it will brighten 
and sweeten every detail of life with more than 
an earthly joy and a higher than earthly peace. 
 6BC1117 

When we submit ourselves to Christ, the 
heart is united with His heart, the will is merged 
in His will, the mind becomes one with His 
mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to 
Him; we live His life. This is what it means to 
be clothed with the garment of His 
righteousness. COL312 

CLOSING THOUGHT

You Cant Change by Accident
   Change requires making choices. Its 
not enough to dream of changing. Its not 
enough to desire change. In order for you to 
change, you will need to make a decision. You must 
choose to change. 
   Change is intentional: Are you going to 
be any different in six months? Are you going 
to be better a year from now? Are you going to 
be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Are 
you going to be happier? Are you going to be in 
less debt? Are you going to be more like God 
wants you to be? 
   I can tell you the answer right now: It 
will only happen if you choose to change, because 
it isnt going to happen accidentally. You 
need to think ahead to where you need to be at 
the end of this year and where you need to be in 
three years, six years, and a decade from now. I 
want you to be better in 10 years than you are 
today, but you wont be unless you choose to be. 
   Change requires a choice.
   A lot of times we think were waiting 
on God to change us. No, you are not waiting on 
God. God is waiting on you! Hes waiting on you 
to say, Yes, Lord, Im willing to make 
these changes. 
   We have to make intentional choices in 
order to grow. There is no growth without change, 
there is no change without loss, and there is no 
loss without pain. If you are going to grow, you 
will have to change, and change means you let go 
of some old things and grab hold of some new 
things. 
   Its like swinging on a trapeze: The 
trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then she 
has to reach out and grab the other bar. At some 
point, shes got to let go of one to grab the 
other, or shes not going to make it to the other 
side. If she thinks she can hold on to both, what 
happens? She gets stuck in the middle, and shes 
going down. 
   Perhaps youre stuck in the middle, and 
youre going down because you havent let go of 
old patterns, old habits, and old ways of 
thinking. You have to let go of your old ways. 
   The Bible says, Throw off your old 
sinful nature and your former way of life 
(Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those 
old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, 
those old sins in your life - let them go. The 
Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is 
working in you to will and to act in order to 
fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2:13 NIV). 
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE

Ephesians 4:22-24 - In Step With God.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200306-0903.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David 
DeRose, MD, MPH: 
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides: 
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE 

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor: 
https://www.revelationnow.com/ 

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657