Happy Friday, everyone! I am getting out of this and I’m headed to Florida to teach Spiritual First Aid (SFA). And I got to tell you, I’m super excited because I’m reading that it’s going to be 60 or above the entire time I’m there, compared to 11 to 20 degrees here in which, with the wind chill, probably feels more like still in the negatives.

But you know, I was thinking about something as I was packing. I don’t really need all of the winter clothes that I need here in Chicago while I’m going to be there in Florida. Yay! That’s really good. But of course, that got me thinking about a devotional thought too. You know, in Colossians 3, let me read this to you, it says, “You used to do all of these bad things when your life was still part of this world, but now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.”

You know, that’s like, we’ve really got a pack different every single day when we get up. We don’t need those things that we used to do as sinful people, as people that continued to live a life that was trapped in that sin, where really some of those things just came so naturally, and we just did all of those things willingly.

Now we get to pack differently for every day. Instead, we get to begin to experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the work of Jesus in our life. And that’s how we get to pack each and every day. So, I don’t know what you were thinking about going out into today with – maybe you still do need your winter clothes, and that’s okay, they serve a purpose.

But in terms of your sinful life, it’s not needed anymore. In fact, you’ve been freed. You’ve been saved by Jesus.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, as we go into this weekend, remind us each and every day that as we pack for each and every day, we are donning and putting on this new creation that You have called us into, that You have saved us for, that You have justified us sinners, and sanctified us continually as we follow You.
We pray that it would not only be a blessing for us to enjoy these new clothes of righteousness that we get to wear, but Jesus, that it would bless many others. So help us to don that new creation that You’ve given us as a gift, and let us go and serve You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

ITTT