Post #5 -- Alive on the Inside

 

A key verse that helps me thrive when I don’t exactly feel like thriving is from 2 Corinthians — “Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For these light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, NLT)

The Amplified Bible helps us unpack this same passage a bit.

“Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day. For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!].” (2 Corinthians, AMPC)

Therefore,

I’ve always been taught — “when you see the word ‘therefore’, always find out what it’s there for”.  In this case the word “therefore” refers back to the previous verse 14 — “… we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself”. ( 2 Corinthians 4:14)  Wow! The same power that raised Christ from the grave two thousand years ago will likewise someday raise us who have put our trust in Jesus!  What an exciting hope we have because of what Jesus has done for us who believe in Him! 

… we do not lose heart.

And because we can look forward to being raised from the grave to life eternal, we do not lose heart — we do not become “utterly spiritless, exhausted and wearied out through fear” (as the Amplified Bible spells it).  We simply do not give up.  We keep going!  Yes, in life there are many opportunities to become discouraged and distraught.  I hate to admit it, but there are times when I’m tripping over my oxygen tubes all tangled around my ankles, making an already difficult walking exercise even more distasteful, that the thought comes, “why fight it?”  But immediately into my brain crashes the phrase, “Therefore, we do not lose heart!”.  God, I love those words!  When this happens I promptly experience a shot of adrenaline that keeps me going.  Actually the “chaos” does not have to be only a major crisis.  For example, I do not enjoy my daily exercise routine all that much, but I do it because I know it’s the right thing to do.  On occasion during these times of exercise, I have those brief moments of self-pity — but sense my brain whispering to me, “Therefore, we do not lose heart”.  I regain strength and encouragement to keep going.  Occasional thoughts of discouragement, and weariness in this chaotic life are normal, but they are temporary and need not define us.  Because we can look ahead, we keep going!

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

But then Paul dumps the negative reality on us.  No one likes to think of his or her outer self progressively wasting away.  But it happens.  I can no longer play racketball as I did at one time.  I can not keep pace with my wife on our usual walks together on the beach.  I can not even walk from one end of our house to the other without becoming quite winded.  These bones and muscles simply don’t work like they did at one time.  We joke about all this as coming with the wisdom of seniority!  Certainly this is a normal part of life and death.  Like it or not, we all have a terminal disease!  Our outward selves are all wasting away. But even in the near-term, there’s tremendously good news!

… yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

And what good news this is!  While our outer self is progressively becoming limited and increasingly non-functional, one can become truly alive on the inside as our inner self is progressively taking on new life— day after day.  How we praise God that in this journey we can experience this qualitative newness of inner life regardless of the degree of “wasting away” of our outer shell.  

But an important point here is that this “being renewed” is not something that I do  out of my own power.  The Holy Spirit does the renewing as we give Him access to our lives.  The psalmist says — “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalms 51:12, NIV)

Paul says it to Titus like this: “Not out of works of righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5, NKJV)  When we put our faith in Jesus and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, He makes us into new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17).  As such we can experience a continued daily renewing of our spirit, heart, and mind.  I find it freeing that my role is to simply submit to the Holy Spirit — and His role is to do the renewing!

Paul, further admonishes his friends at Colosse — “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become more like Him” (Colossians 3:10, NLT)  And therein lies a clue as to how this renewing process grows — which we’ll explore during subsequent posts.

For these light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  

To say that our present troubles are nothing compared to the glories of our  ultimate eternal life with Jesus is certainly an obvious understatement. Yet it is far too easy to lose sight of this perspective. Why is that?  Could it be that the busyness and noise of life forms a bubble-like shell around me that clouds my ability to see clearly?

I can not resist the urge to reference one more rendition of 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, this time from the Passion Translation —“So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day. We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, TPT)

What a comfort it has been for me to mull over these verses as I lie in bed at night moments before going to sleep.  I will not lose heart!  I will not give up! And as this journey continues I’m being regularly renewed and spiritually transformed.  That intense coughing spell I had early this morning becomes a “slight, short-lived” incident and pales in comparison to the “eternal, weighty” glory of eternal life!

Does dwelling on this verse help me thrive?  You bet it does!

Yet questions remain: What does this daily renewal look like? How does this happen? Is there something I can do to catalyze it? Must it be so “daily”?  The questions are endless. Together we’ll explore answers.

My Prayer —

Lord God, from the depth of my soul I praise you that I have the assurance that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave will one day also raise me.  And because I have this promise, with your help, I will not lose heart!  I will keep going!  I praise you for my privileged present position with you in Jesus Christ and for the hope of a glorious rejoicing when this mortal body takes on an immortal nature for all of eternity.  Even though my physical body is losing speed, I’m enjoying my time with you and sensing my inner spirit taking on new life.  I praise you for this!  Please help me to always do my part in allowing you access to my life in order that you can do what you want to do in renewing my inner self day after day.  Thanks! In Jesus name I pray. Amen