Our inner life being renewed daily, in the midst of external decay

Our inner life being renewed daily, in the midst of external decay

2 Cor 3

¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Cor 4

⁶ For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ⁸ we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death works in us, but life in you.
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¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

O - This letter from Paul to the Corinthians is rich with instruction to a local church and its membership on to how they are to view their new found freedom in Christ, and what to expect in walking out their faith.   One way Paul does this by revealing the difference between operating under the written law of Moses which is has been veiled us from God's glory and the veil being removed by Christ, and now Christ's spirit is in us and we have a new found freedom in Christ that could have never been attained under the law. Now the light shines in us to share with the world but we are yet still vessels born on earth and face the same fragilities of this world.  We can be broken and cracked,  but we will not despair or be destroyed because we have the eternal light of Christ in us.  We are both dying to the old body and being renew in our inner life daily.

A-  The application for me is to realize when I begin feeling down and defeated in it often the external circumstances and my outer self that is feeling defeated.  Whether it be my physical body getting older and more sore with age, or my worries for the external circumstances like my job, my possessions decaying away that I begin despairing.   The encouragement from Paul is this that my internal man is being renewed daily, through prayer, God's word, and the Holy Spirit in me.  This is being renewed and restored daily.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your daily spiritual renewal.  I recognize I have despaired to much about my external circumstances, while all along you are renewing me daily and filling me spiritually.  I pray that you continue to renew me from the inside out, until once again your light shines to all around me and they see your glory through my life.