For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Though the outer physical life and body wastes away and declines in strength and suffers, the inner spiritual life is made fresh and new every day, so that bodily death does not end God's work. For this cause God's servants do not faint or lose heart but keep declaring the gospel faithfully and unflinchingly even while feeling the power of the enemy and failing physical strength. Heavy trials endured for truth are but light and momentary affliction, working a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for those who look not at temporal things which are seen but at eternal things which are not seen. God renews day by day the strength of those who love and serve Him and makes His wisdom and strength available to carry out His purposes, so they need not give way to despondency even when circumstances look most forbidding and faith is tested. Amid pain and suffering this daily renewal brings comfort and assurance of God's care, as the Spirit gives new life and brings thoughts and desires into obedience to Christ and renews the inward person in God's image into a changed and fruitful character through the truths of the Word accepted in the life.
Outward Decay, Inward Renewal
The outer person is the outward physical life and body that wastes away, declines in strength, suffers, weakens and perishes, while the inner person is the inward spiritual life that is made fresh and new every day. Even when the body fails under pain, suffering and sleepless nights, that daily renewal brings comfort and strength to the sufferer and assures God's care. Brief hardships prepare a vastly greater and everlasting glory for those who fix attention on enduring invisible realities instead of passing visible things. The same renewal sustains undiscouraged enjoyment of God's blessing even while a loved one is ill, because God lives and reigns.
This daily renewing is a renewing in the spirit of the mind to be desired and sought, reaching forth individually to the righteousness of Christ as the prize. It means having the mind that was in Christ Jesus, walking as He walked and working as He worked in constant self-denial and daily reaching out to do others good. The fullness of grace for this life is provided and to be remembered and used through the merits of Christ, yet much is lost by forgetting it and by offering dull, sleepy, indifferent service. Resisting temptation requires wrestling in earnest prayer with God, and by using grace bestowed the believer gains a vigorous Christianity.
The instruction is to be taken personally by every believer and considered in view of eternal interests, which calls for humility before God. Because the inward person is renewed day by day even as physical strength fails, bodily death does not end God's work. The dying of the outward person can therefore be faced with hope at the death of a faithful worker.
Strength Not to Faint
For this cause the servants of God do not faint or lose heart but keep declaring the gospel faithfully and unflinchingly even while feeling the power of the enemy and while outward physical strength declines and wastes away, because the inward spiritual life is made fresh and new day by day. They press forward in the conflict clad for battle in the whole armor, cheerful and triumphant with the gaze fixed on high upon the reward of the faithful. Paul's many afflictions make the difficulties of today appear trifling, leaving no ground for complaint. Heavy trials endured for the sake of the truth are light affliction which is but for a moment, working a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for those who look not at the things which are seen which are temporal but at the things which are not seen which are eternal.
God renews day by day the strength of those who love and serve Him, sustaining them even when circumstances look most forbidding and dark. He makes His wisdom and strength available to them to carry out His purposes as He works out His will for His people. Therefore workers need not give way to despondency or lose heart even when faith is tested.
Continual murmuring and fretfulness over the slightest interference with will and pleasure grieves the Spirit of God. Careless indifference and living and working to honor self for ease and selfish pleasure and profit and power opens the soul to Satan, who transforms himself into an angel of light to ruin it. The same renewal keeps believers undiscouraged and enjoying God's blessing even while a loved one is ill, because God lives and reigns.
Daily Renewal in Life
Amid pain, suffering, and sleepless nights, the inner life is made new each day even while the outer body weakens, suffers, and fails, and that daily renewal gives comfort and strength in affliction as an assurance of God's care. The daily renewing is a renewing in the spirit of the mind, to be desired and sought as each person individually reaches forth to the righteousness of Christ as the prize. It means having the mind that was in Christ Jesus, walking as He walked and working as He worked in constant self-denial and daily reaching out to do others good. The fullness of grace for this life is provided through the merits of Christ and is to be remembered and used, for much is lost by forgetting it and by dull, sleepy, indifferent service. Resisting temptation requires wrestling in earnest prayer with God, and by using the grace bestowed the believer gains a vigorous Christianity.
The inward person is renewed in God's image as the Spirit gives the soul new life and brings thoughts and desires into obedience to Christ. That inward renewal appears outwardly in a changed character, as grace develops goodness and fruitfulness even in weak and erring people. It comes under the influence of truth as the truths of the Word are unfolded to the mind and accepted in the life, by which believers lay hold upon the divine nature. Such daily renewing sanctifies the life and fashions the character after the divine similitude, so that one in right relation to God bears the mold of Christ in a way others recognize. Spiritual strength must therefore be replenished continually as Christians learn of Christ and grow more like Him.
Attention to the beauty of the outward person can leave the inward beauty of the soul neglected, in contrast to the inward person who is enriched and strengthened through searching God's word and explaining it to others. The inward man renewed day by day is the mind renewed by welcoming Jesus as Helper and inviting His gracious presence, accepting peace and rest, rising above worry, and praising God for blessings and for Christ's great love shown past and present. Renewal means erecting no barriers to keep Jesus from the soul, changing the voice from repining to gratitude, and living to God's glory with thanksgiving and a contented mind. It looks onward and upward to His coming to be admired by His saints and glorified in all who believe, while by exercising faith, casting unbelief from the soul temple, and beholding Him as a sin-pardoning Saviour, the complaining and sad receive sanctified affections and the Holy Spirit's peace, rest, comfort, and joy expressed in thanksgiving and praise. Ministers and teachers move upward and onward by being converted daily, praying more fervently so their prayers become more effectual, and holding stronger confidence that God's Holy Spirit will be with them to make them pure and holy, as upright and fragrant as the cedar of Lebanon.
Though the outer physical life and body wastes away and declines in strength and suffers, the inner spiritual life is made fresh and new every day, so that bodily death does not end God's work. For this cause God's servants do not faint or lose heart but keep declaring the gospel faithfully and unflinchingly even while feeling the power of the enemy and failing physical strength. Heavy trials endured for truth are but light and momentary affliction, working a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for those who look not at temporal things which are seen but at eternal things which are not seen. God renews day by day the strength of those who love and serve Him and makes His wisdom and strength available to carry out His purposes, so they need not give way to despondency even when circumstances look most forbidding and faith is tested. Amid pain and suffering this daily renewal brings comfort and assurance of God's care, as the Spirit gives new life and brings thoughts and desires into obedience to Christ and renews the inward person in God's image into a changed and fruitful character through the truths of the Word accepted in the life.
Outward Decay, Inward Renewal
The outer person is the outward physical life and body that wastes away, declines in strength, suffers, weakens and perishes, while the inner person is the inward spiritual life that is made fresh and new every day. Even when the body fails under pain, suffering and sleepless nights, that daily renewal brings comfort and strength to the sufferer and assures God's care. Brief hardships prepare a vastly greater and everlasting glory for those who fix attention on enduring invisible realities instead of passing visible things. The same renewal sustains undiscouraged enjoyment of God's blessing even while a loved one is ill, because God lives and reigns.
This daily renewing is a renewing in the spirit of the mind to be desired and sought, reaching forth individually to the righteousness of Christ as the prize. It means having the mind that was in Christ Jesus, walking as He walked and working as He worked in constant self-denial and daily reaching out to do others good. The fullness of grace for this life is provided and to be remembered and used through the merits of Christ, yet much is lost by forgetting it and by offering dull, sleepy, indifferent service. Resisting temptation requires wrestling in earnest prayer with God, and by using grace bestowed the believer gains a vigorous Christianity.
The instruction is to be taken personally by every believer and considered in view of eternal interests, which calls for humility before God. Because the inward person is renewed day by day even as physical strength fails, bodily death does not end God's work. The dying of the outward person can therefore be faced with hope at the death of a faithful worker.
Strength Not to Faint
For this cause the servants of God do not faint or lose heart but keep declaring the gospel faithfully and unflinchingly even while feeling the power of the enemy and while outward physical strength declines and wastes away, because the inward spiritual life is made fresh and new day by day. They press forward in the conflict clad for battle in the whole armor, cheerful and triumphant with the gaze fixed on high upon the reward of the faithful. Paul's many afflictions make the difficulties of today appear trifling, leaving no ground for complaint. Heavy trials endured for the sake of the truth are light affliction which is but for a moment, working a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for those who look not at the things which are seen which are temporal but at the things which are not seen which are eternal.
God renews day by day the strength of those who love and serve Him, sustaining them even when circumstances look most forbidding and dark. He makes His wisdom and strength available to them to carry out His purposes as He works out His will for His people. Therefore workers need not give way to despondency or lose heart even when faith is tested.
Continual murmuring and fretfulness over the slightest interference with will and pleasure grieves the Spirit of God. Careless indifference and living and working to honor self for ease and selfish pleasure and profit and power opens the soul to Satan, who transforms himself into an angel of light to ruin it. The same renewal keeps believers undiscouraged and enjoying God's blessing even while a loved one is ill, because God lives and reigns.
Daily Renewal in Life
Amid pain, suffering, and sleepless nights, the inner life is made new each day even while the outer body weakens, suffers, and fails, and that daily renewal gives comfort and strength in affliction as an assurance of God's care. The daily renewing is a renewing in the spirit of the mind, to be desired and sought as each person individually reaches forth to the righteousness of Christ as the prize. It means having the mind that was in Christ Jesus, walking as He walked and working as He worked in constant self-denial and daily reaching out to do others good. The fullness of grace for this life is provided through the merits of Christ and is to be remembered and used, for much is lost by forgetting it and by dull, sleepy, indifferent service. Resisting temptation requires wrestling in earnest prayer with God, and by using the grace bestowed the believer gains a vigorous Christianity.
The inward person is renewed in God's image as the Spirit gives the soul new life and brings thoughts and desires into obedience to Christ. That inward renewal appears outwardly in a changed character, as grace develops goodness and fruitfulness even in weak and erring people. It comes under the influence of truth as the truths of the Word are unfolded to the mind and accepted in the life, by which believers lay hold upon the divine nature. Such daily renewing sanctifies the life and fashions the character after the divine similitude, so that one in right relation to God bears the mold of Christ in a way others recognize. Spiritual strength must therefore be replenished continually as Christians learn of Christ and grow more like Him.
Attention to the beauty of the outward person can leave the inward beauty of the soul neglected, in contrast to the inward person who is enriched and strengthened through searching God's word and explaining it to others. The inward man renewed day by day is the mind renewed by welcoming Jesus as Helper and inviting His gracious presence, accepting peace and rest, rising above worry, and praising God for blessings and for Christ's great love shown past and present. Renewal means erecting no barriers to keep Jesus from the soul, changing the voice from repining to gratitude, and living to God's glory with thanksgiving and a contented mind. It looks onward and upward to His coming to be admired by His saints and glorified in all who believe, while by exercising faith, casting unbelief from the soul temple, and beholding Him as a sin-pardoning Saviour, the complaining and sad receive sanctified affections and the Holy Spirit's peace, rest, comfort, and joy expressed in thanksgiving and praise. Ministers and teachers move upward and onward by being converted daily, praying more fervently so their prayers become more effectual, and holding stronger confidence that God's Holy Spirit will be with them to make them pure and holy, as upright and fragrant as the cedar of Lebanon.