Daily Devotional for September 21, 2019
Old to New
“Mom!” Riley called as he stared into his closet. “There’s no room for all this new stuff. Where am I going to keep it?” He and his mother had just returned from a shopping trip, and Riley was trying to fit several items of new clothing into his closet. “I need a bigger closet.”
“Or fewer clothes,” Mom said as she came to see. “Think about it. You really did need those new things. Why was that?”
“Because my old clothes are all too small,” said Riley.
Mom nodded. “So there’s no reason for you to keep them. Put them in this box for your brother. He can use them, and that will make room in the closet for your new clothes.” She turned to go. “Get rid of the old to make room for the new—in closets and in life!”
As Riley removed clothes from the closet, he thought about what Mom had said. Getting rid of the old to make room for the new works for the closet, he thought as he put a shirt in the box Mom had left for him, but what did Mom mean by doing that in my life?
That evening Riley told Dad about the shopping trip, his new clothes, and Mom’s advice for making room for them. “They’re all hung up now, but I still don’t know what Mom meant about getting rid of old stuff and making room for new stuff in life,” said Riley. “Do you?”
“Well, she was probably thinking of the Bible verse that says all things become new for Christians,” Dad replied. “It’s kind of like Jesus takes us shopping. He gives us new attitudes, new habits, and new desires. Some of the old ones don’t fit us anymore once we become Christians. It was probably pretty easy to decide what to get rid of from your closet, wasn’t it? But are there things in your life you should get rid of too?”
Riley remembered the way he had treated a classmate he disliked. He remembered deliberately “forgetting” to do his chores and homework. I can’t dump those kinds of things into a box, he thought, but I can choose to do what’s right instead. Raelene E. Phillips
How about you?
Are you putting on the things Jesus has given you for your new Christian life? Or are there some old habits and attitudes—like lying, cheating, or being unkind—that you’re still hanging on to? Jesus wants to replace old habits and attitudes with something far better. Those old, selfish desires don’t fit you anymore. Instead, look to Jesus to fill your life with His love, peace, and joy.
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