In the kingdom of God, Jesus has a trade secret too. It's about trading our old selves for new ones. This trade happens when we encounter God's love and follow Jesus on his way of love. Along this path, we trade our mindset of obligation for a mindset of opportunity.
Hey guys! Today we're going to talk about something super cool. You know how companies have these things called trade secrets that give them an edge over their competitors? Well, Jesus has a trade secret too. It's all about trading our old selves for new ones. This trade happens when we experience God's love and decide to follow Jesus on his way of love.
Let's pray: "Jesus, thanks for loving us and giving up your life for us. Help us to understand your way of love and to live it out in our lives. Amen."
Our Scripture for today is Ephesians 4:25-5:2 and Ephesians 4:22-24.
It's all about trading our old selves for new ones. This trade happens when we experience God's love and decide to follow Jesus on his way of love.
Now, let's imagine you have an old, beat-up phone. It's slow, the screen is cracked, and the battery dies super fast. But then, someone offers you a brand new, top-of-the-line phone for free. All you have to do is trade in your old one. Would you do it? Of course, you would!
That's kind of like what Jesus offers us. He's saying, "Trade in your old self - your old habits, your old ways of thinking - and I'll give you a new self. A self that's full of love, joy, peace, and all the good stuff."
But here's the catch. This trade doesn't just happen automatically. We have to choose to make the trade. We have to choose to follow Jesus and his way of love.
In Ephesians, we're told to follow God's example and walk in the way of love, just like Jesus did. This means living a life of self-giving love. It's not about trying to be better on our own, but about letting God's love transform us from the inside out.
Now, when we think about making these trades, we can either see them as obligations or opportunities. If we see them as obligations, we'll probably end up feeling resentful and burned out. But if we see them as opportunities, we'll be excited and grateful for the chance to grow and become more like Jesus.
Ephesians gives us some examples of trades we can make. We can trade lying for telling the truth, anger for reconciliation, stealing for sharing, and hurtful words for words that build others up. We can trade bitterness and anger for kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
So, what are the "old phones" in your life that you want to trade in? Maybe it's a bad habit, a grudge you're holding, or a negative way of thinking. Whatever it is, Jesus is offering you a trade. He's offering you a new, better way of living.
Let's finish with a prayer: "Jesus, help us to make the trade. Help us to let go of our old selves and embrace the new selves you have for us. Help us to walk in your way of love. Amen."
1. What is one thing you want to trade in your life?
2. How can you apply the concept of trading old for new in your daily life?
3. How does the idea of trading obligation for opportunity change your perspective on following Jesus?
4. What are some practical ways you can walk in the way of love this week?
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