New Attitude, New Self, Created to be like God, Part 1

Ephesians 4:25-32

This passage has a great deal to say about holy living, so much so that I'm going to break it up over a few posts. The passage starts with "therefore," and a preacher friend of mine used to say that whenever you see "therefore," you have to look at what came "before." In verses 22-24, Paul says, "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." With the idea of a new attitude and a new self, both of which were created to be like God, Paul describes several ways in which the new self is different from the old self. These are general living verses, but several are very applicable to workplaces as well.

Paul begins by encouraging the Ephesians to be truthful (see also Col. 3:8-14). I can't think of very many things that will erode your relationships faster at work (or anywhere else) than dishonesty. We're not necessarily talking about Enron-sized dishonesty (although that's included, too). I know when I'm just about caught up on everything and someone asks me if I have a minute to do a particular task, it's very tempting to say, "no, I'm just swamped right now." Or what about being behind on a project, but when the boss asks how it's going, saying, "fine, almost finished with it." There are any number of times when we may have the opportunity to tell a "white lie." But in this passage and in Colossians, Paul reminds us that we are called to be different from people around us.

Paul also calls us to be careful with our anger. Many people have heard the phrase "don't let the sun go down on your anger." This doesn't mean that you can't take a short time to cool off before dealing with a problem. What Paul is saying is don't let things fester. When someone really makes me mad, my natural inclination is to stew. Sure I may be nice to the person's face, but inside, I'm thinking about how I'm going to get back at them or I'm imagining bad things happening to them. So what happens after that? Are things better? Typically not. In fact, what usually happens is I'm tenser, more upset, but they are usually oblivious to my distress. I lose out on sleep and peace because I'm dwelling on what they did and what I'd like to see happen to them rather than spending time thinking about better things. If you're angry (for the right reasons), be angry. But don't dwell on it. Say something, don't say something, but either way, move on.