“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23-24 KJV)

The morning was chaotic, not much different than any other 1940s morning, having many interruptions. My sister-in-law quickly reached for her second apron before her neighbour arrived for coffee. She tied it securely at the waist over the spotted first apron. By mid-morning, she pushed the curtains aside to see the church ladies coming up the walk to pay her a visit. With a quick brush to her hair, she tied on the third apron over the second. By late afternoon, four colourful aprons were tied at her waist covering the day’s soil and stain. Her goal was to make herself presentable. On this busy day, she didn’t bother wasting time taking off the old before she put on the new.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 KJV)

In Christ, keeping ourselves clean on the inside isn’t as easy as putting on a clean apron over our dirty spots. We can’t tie on a new apron to cover the old, because we need to be cleansed from the inside to remove the old — to be filled with the holiness of Christ. In the “old man”, we were all full of sin.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 KJV)

Let’s take time to consider whether we are only sprucing up smudges on the outside and not paying heed to the repentance and renewal that we need inside. Let’s not pretend that a frilly, organdy apron, or even the blacksmith’s heavy leather apron, will protect our hearts as Christ’s shed blood can do.

Prayer: Father God, you know how quickly we can become complacent. Help us to remember that no number of aprons will cleanse our hearts from sin. It is by Your grace that we are set apart in the Spirit by Jesus Christ. Amen.

Karen Milam
Penn Valley, California, USA

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission