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“Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and… put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” —Ephesians 4:22–24 One of my very favorite stories from the Scriptures is the story of Jesus’ good friend Lazarus. Lazarus was sick. Jesus found out, but waited until four days after he died to come. Upon arriving, Jesus ordered that the stone be removed from the tomb and raised Lazarus from the dead. Something interesting happened next. Lazarus was still bound with the linen strips that were wrapped around a person when he died. And Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go” (John 11:44). What I love about that statement is that Jesus isn’t allowing Lazarus to wear the clothes of a dead man. Instead, He intends for Lazarus to shed the garments of death and move forward in life. Much the same way, when we come to Christ and are raised from the death of our sins, Jesus calls us to shed the garments of death that bind us and put on the clothes of grace and glory. Many Christians have stepped out of the tomb, but are still bound by their death clothes of sin. But in Christ, you have the ability to shed the clothes of death and put on new clothes of life. Walk in that new life today by God’s power!   BE RENEWED DAILY IN GOD’S POWER BY TAKING OFF YOUR OLD SELF AND PUTTING ON THE NEW! Tuesday, October 30, 2018 A Needed Reminder by Dr. Paul Chappell “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:17–20 The greatest demonstration of God’s love is without question the gift of His Son to be our Saviour. It seems that such an enormous sacrifice would compel all who have accepted His gracious offer of salvation to daily outpouring of gratitude and praise. Yet in reality that is not the case. Even as He prepared to die, Jesus established with the disciples a pattern we still follow to this day with the observance of the Lord’s Supper in our churches. God commands this practice because we need the reminder of what He has done for us. Acknowledging the truth that our salvation is completely a work of God’s grace, apart from any merit we have in ourselves, strikes at the very roots of our pride. So it is easy for us to listen to Satan’s temptation to think more highly of ourselves than we should, and to diminish our appreciation and remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. There should never be a day that passes without us remembering and rejoicing in our salvation. This should not just take place when we participate in the Lord’s Supper. That special time should not have to serve as a reminder of something we have forgotten, but instead, a special occasion to celebrate and rejoice even more. Never lose sight of the cost of your salvation. Today’s Growth Principle:  The Christian who forgets all that God has done for him is headed toward calamity.