“Being Renewed ”

2 Corinthians 4:16-17
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying,
our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles
are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an
immeasurable great glory that will last forever! (NLT)

When we turn our lives over to the care and control of our LORD God there are two things going on in unison that are important to understand. On the one hand, our imperfect bodies continually grow older, wearing out and will eventually come to an end. And while this natural process is taking place the stresses and troubles that come with living in this fallen world will often speed up this decaying process. Most people who still have their youth don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the ageing process. But as our bodies begin to break down, ageing becomes reality, and the final outcome gets closer with each passing day. Now on the other hand, while all this natural decaying is going on, we Christians are continually drawing closer to the Lord, experiencing the renewing of our spirits; the heart and soul of our new lives in Christ Jesus. As Christians living in a fallen world we are oppressed (in some degree) on all sides (1 John 5:19); some physically, some emotionally, and some both. If you confess that you are a friend of God, you will automatically become an enemy of the world and its ways (James 4:4). All people with a somewhat sound mind who are not living a new life in the Savior, Christ Jesus, are living a life denying the realities of time and eternity, and of heaven and hell. Most adults will testify that this life is not only very short, but awfully difficult as well; whereas eternity is a very long time, especially an eternity spent in difficulties one cannot imagine. The sufferings we experience living this life in Jesus Christ is peanuts when compared to the glory we will experience with Jesus for eternity. But for those who choose the world as their Savior; the price they pay for such a short period of time will cost them incredibly more suffering than all the people put together who have ever lived in this life. As a believer in Christ you will never lose enough heart to give up, because the best hope anyone can have in this life of decay and death lies in the truth of the Resurrection (1 Peter 1:3).

A Whisper of Hope
A life in Me…has no end, dear child. This world has never been kind to you, nor will it ever until I come back to restore it. The new life I give you will help ease your pain for a short while, but when your time comes I will give you the glory I have promised; a share in my inheritance. The short time of your suffering does not compare to the abundant blessings that are in store for you. Be glad in your sufferings; they are not in vain, but are well worth it!

1 John 5:19
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (NASB)

James 4:4
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world
is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend
of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (NASB)

1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NASB)