Our culture seems to be addicted to extreme makeovers. Whether it is a house or a person, we LOVE to see dramatic pictures of before and after. This week’s song, “That Was Then, This Is Now” by Josh Wilson, leads us to Ephesians, where we discover a dramatic picture of us before Christ and after Christ.
I introduce a pretty neat tool to help you visualize this contrast clearly. I hope you try it for yourself!
In this episode, I discuss:
- Listening to Scripture using YouVersion
- Reading the entire letter to the Ephesians
- The contrast of who we were before and after Christ – Ephesians 5:8
- The Bible Interaction Tool – “Pick a Side: Charting Contrasts in Scripture”
- Unpacking Ephesians 4 to discover “that was then” vs. “this is now”
- Reading in unfamiliar translations for things to jump out at you
- Not allowing anger to control us
- The poverty spirit and what it is contrasted with
- How God’s characteristics spans both columns
Enjoy the official music video below.
Additional Resources
This Week’s Challenge
Read/listen to Ephesians daily…that’s my 19-minute-a-day challenge to you! Make time on one day this week to choose a section or chapter of Ephesians to chart the contrasts you see. Here’s a final challenge: I do not currently wear all of the characteristics of my new wardrobe in the “this is now” column. Join me in highlighting or circling one thing you will work on to ensure it is in your life’s “this is now” column (see mine here). This won’t happen through willpower but through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you.
