Quite honestly my husband Brian is one of the smartest men I know. He can discuss current and historical events masterfully with anyone and he is absolutely the person you want on your team when playing Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble.

Brian’s job allows him the privilege of working from home. He consults for clients all over Canada and he does so happily in his pajamas (aka leisure pants).

Everyday Brian changes from his “pajamas” into his “leisure pants” —honestly, there are days I can’t tell the difference— and off he goes to work in his home office. This morning, however, was different. This morning, Brian changed from his “pajamas” into a new crisp white collared shirt, dress pants and a sports jacket.

“Where are you off to?” I asked, both surprised and impressed.

“I am meeting with clients, this morning”.

“You look good”, I said (wishing, not so secretly, he would dress like that for his home office ;)

He kissed me good bye, as is our practice whenever we leave the house - and off to work he went.

As he left, all dressed up, it reminded me of the Ephesians passage we were working through on Sunday.

As believers we are called to change our clothes. You might recall the closet of clothes I brought in for my embarrassment and your amusement.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self… 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

Paul says we are to "change your clothes."

Put off the old person and put on the new person. So, the first question is what do these two garments refer to? What is the old person and what is the new person?

Verse 25 gives a helpful clue. The same word for "put off" is used both here and in verse 22, as though Paul intended to illustrate what he meant by “putting off” the old.

He says, "Therefore putting off falsehood, speak truth." So, one example of putting off the old person is to put off bad practices that belong to the old way of life—like lying.

I think it boils down to this: we need to stop putting negative, hurtful things into your minds and body, and we need to start watching, listening and putting things in that edify and make us more like Christ.

But I think you will agree, before we can do that we’ve got to “put off” before we can “put on”.

It would be like Brian putting on his new white crisp dress shirt and dress pants over his pyjamas? That would be nuts. He’s not superman!

“….put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24