As I stepped out of the shower this morning and started getting ready for my day, I was struck by this thought: to put clothes that reek of yesterday back onto my fresh clean body would be a grave disservice, both to my body and to the lovely strawberries-n'-cream scent that remained from my shower gel.

In the same way, when I've spent time with Jesus and asked Him to forgive me for something horrid I had done or said or thought, to just put back on the same old lifestyle and habits that got me in that mess in the first place would be an injustice to not only my own freshly washed spirit and soul, but also to the fragrance of Christ.

Instead of going back to old ways of thinking that smell like dirty socks, I should put on fresh thoughts and fresh ways of thinking that allow His sweet, light fragrance to shine through.

How do I do that? Thanks for asking!

I do that by letting God's Word change the way I think and act. Oh, I fail at that pretty much every day, but it's not about perfection, it's about progress. God's opinion needs to be more important to me than anyone else's, including my own. The lifestyle we are called to is one of obedience to God's Word... even when it hurts.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

Ephesians 4:22-24 "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."

1 Peter 5:5b "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'