The Spiritual Art of BusinessSample

A Progression of Selves

The genius of God’s design is that—as we surrender to Him—He accomplishes His work in our souls and in the world simultaneously, and He does it through the ordinary circumstances of our lives. Every moment conspires to bring us into deeper intimacy with Him and invites us to join Him in accomplishing His work in this world.

What’s going on inside us throughout all this? We’re actually becoming new people.

As the apostle Paul said, “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” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV).

Since we disobeyed in the Garden of Eden, we have been propping up the old man (or, of course, woman) within us, who can only live a hollow, unfulfilled life. Yet our faith strips us of our old selves, enabling us to live into and out of our new, true selves. Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

As new creations, we act with purified motives. We are more objective. We are more fully present to the people and issues in front of us as we are less distracted by the noise of the world around us.

Arrogance, and all the other manifestations of that insidious pride, colors our judgment without our even knowing that the crayons have been pulled out of the box. As we increasingly understand that our meaning comes from knowing we are loved, we strive less to artificially derive meaning from status, recognition, or praise.

The freedom and joy we experience will be contagious and attractive to others. The organizations we serve will flourish by the presence of our absence that allows God to be present.

Where is God currently at work, growing your new self and reducing your old self as He transforms you more and more into the likeness of His Son?