A Palace Fit for the King

 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. (Eph. 4: 22-24)

 

The apostle Paul wrote those words to new believers in Ephesus nearly two thousand years ago, but when I first read them it was as if he was speaking directly to me.

 

 

Before I believed and received Christ into my heart the idea of an invisible God who has a plan for my life seemed like foolishness. I thought that sense perception and the reasoning we do from what we perceive is the only source of knowledge. I did not consider revelation from God to be a real way of knowing, I did not believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, I did not have the Spirit and “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor.2: 14-15). This left me with a problem.

 

It was fashionable back in the ‘60s to try to “find your identity” or “be true to yourself,” and that meant there really is a “true you” to be found. But even with the help of a secular psychologist, who was no better than me at discerning spiritual things, I could not find my true self. All I could find was behavior patterns that were the product of my heredity and my environment as I was growing up. I was busy trying to be accepted and get the approval of significant others, but I had no idea who I really was!

 

All that changed when I received Christ into my heart and He gave me spiritual life. I began to accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, and the sweetest thing I learned was that I was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, yet uniquely me. Without Christ in my heart I was being corrupted by deceitful desires, both my own and those of others. I now know that I am God’s workmanship, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, my Creator knows what I was made for, other people do not. The Holy Spirit is my teacher and He is renovating my heart, making me into a palace fit for the King.

 

The same is true for every believer as we make room for Christ in our hearts and he continues his renovation project in each of us. As we take captive the thoughts and attitudes of our minds and hearts and make them obedient to Christ we are putting on our true self. Each of us is finding our unique identity in Christ, and that means finding our place in His kingdom.