Is, Ought, Am

I went to worship yesterday morning pondering three perspectives. It was a mind-expanding experience! The hymns and sermon exploded with "is" and "ought" and "am." My brain raced to keep up with all the implications of each verb.

I caught one transcendent glimpse of something I never beheld before. Our text was Ephesians 4:22-24, which tells us to

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Here's what I saw as I considered this from three perspectives.

• Is: my old self belongs to my old life, but there is a new self created after the likeness of God.
  
• Ought: that old way of life is corrupt and those desires are deceitful, but there is a new way of life that is righteous and holy.
• Am: I am new-made, I am recreated, I am my Father's child, my Savior's love, the Spirit's home!

It was the third thought that took me off my guard and swept me off my feet. My mind is so trained to think about what is and what ought to be that the good news of who I am in Christ startled and delighted me.