Being renewed every day
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes on what is not seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Even though the Bible was written almost 2,000 years ago, it still applies to us today. It’s almost as if it was written directly for us. As a matter of fact, it is. The Bible is God’s love letter to us.
The world is in turmoil. There is so much angst and uncertainty. The Bible reminds us to don’t lose heart. Instead, we are to focus on eternal things and not the things of this world. The Bible is our instruction book and a living document. It is just as relevant to us today as it was when it was first written. The Bible is not some storybook. It is real and God’s true word.
In this specific passage of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul writes to the Corinthian church to reinforce the good news of the gospel with clarity. The passage reminds us that as a part of God’s new creation, we are aliens in a foreign land. We are living in deteriorating earthly vessels with a heavenly hope. As a part of the body of Christ, we are indwelled by the Spirit of God, with an eternal inheritance kept for us in heaven.
Christians are called to stand fast in the evil day. Believers must press on despite the difficulties we face and to live by faith and not by sight. We are not to become discouraged or anxious. We are not to allow ourselves to become wearied or fearful. Although our physical bodies are growing older and we notice that everything in this world is decaying and wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day after day.
This week, read your Bible and take a moment to reflect on what you just read and how it applies to you today. Act on it in the way Christ would want you to. Each of us needs to be like Christ and follow in the example that He sets for us every day.