May 26, 2016 DAY BY DAY
2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
We do not like being reminded that our bodies are decaying! However, if we fail to grasp the truth that Paul is presenting in these verses, we will be out of focus and will not have a healthy perspective of life as we age, and we will become complainers, depressed, or live with a pity party mentality-or all three. The fact is that our bodies are decaying, and no amount of exercise or proper diet can stop the process. (Exercise and proper diet are important for sure and they have their benefit.) The pains and discomfort that accompany aging are no fun, but the good news for the child of God is that the reality that our bodies are decaying is not the end of the story, and it’s not all gloom and doom. The blessing is that our inner man-the real us-can experience a renewal day by day, and this renewal of the inner man enables us to be overcomers in dealing with the aging process. In fact, the “momentary, light affliction” that we endure is actually working for our good in that our afflictions are in some way, which I don’t understand, are producing eternal blessings for us. The key to being renewed day by day and not succumbing to the aging process, is to realize that what we see is temporal and will pass away, while the things we don’t see are eternal and will last forever. This is a foreign concept to the natural man as it is his nature to live his life based on what he sees-the tangible-the here and now. Those who have placed their trust in God have the Spirit of God living in them have been made eternal beings with the power to overcome, and are destined for heaven. Even though we have to deal with the temporal, the here and now part of life, our focus is to be on the eternal. We will be better, and more effective in what we do in the “here and now” if we have our focus on the eternal, because when are focused on what is eternal, we are better equipped for the present. If we live focused on what we the temporal, we will live far beneath the plans and the life that God has for us. Let us be reminded that there is much more to life than what we see with our eyes; let us see value in the “momentary light afflictions;” and let us set our sights on living as spiritual beings, realizing that one day, our mortal bodies will put on immortality and we will forever be with the Lord. We are called to be good stewards of the present, but let us exercise our stewardship from an eternal perspective. So when the pains and discomfort come, remember that they are momentary, and that they are working for our good as we endure with an eternal perspective.
Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
We do not like being reminded that our bodies are decaying! However, if we fail to grasp the truth that Paul is presenting in these verses, we will be out of focus and will not have a healthy perspective of life as we age, and we will become complainers, depressed, or live with a pity party mentality-or all three. The fact is that our bodies are decaying, and no amount of exercise or proper diet can stop the process. (Exercise and proper diet are important for sure and they have their benefit.) The pains and discomfort that accompany aging are no fun, but the good news for the child of God is that the reality that our bodies are decaying is not the end of the story, and it’s not all gloom and doom. The blessing is that our inner man-the real us-can experience a renewal day by day, and this renewal of the inner man enables us to be overcomers in dealing with the aging process. In fact, the “momentary, light affliction” that we endure is actually working for our good in that our afflictions are in some way, which I don’t understand, are producing eternal blessings for us. The key to being renewed day by day and not succumbing to the aging process, is to realize that what we see is temporal and will pass away, while the things we don’t see are eternal and will last forever. This is a foreign concept to the natural man as it is his nature to live his life based on what he sees-the tangible-the here and now. Those who have placed their trust in God have the Spirit of God living in them have been made eternal beings with the power to overcome, and are destined for heaven. Even though we have to deal with the temporal, the here and now part of life, our focus is to be on the eternal. We will be better, and more effective in what we do in the “here and now” if we have our focus on the eternal, because when are focused on what is eternal, we are better equipped for the present. If we live focused on what we the temporal, we will live far beneath the plans and the life that God has for us. Let us be reminded that there is much more to life than what we see with our eyes; let us see value in the “momentary light afflictions;” and let us set our sights on living as spiritual beings, realizing that one day, our mortal bodies will put on immortality and we will forever be with the Lord. We are called to be good stewards of the present, but let us exercise our stewardship from an eternal perspective. So when the pains and discomfort come, remember that they are momentary, and that they are working for our good as we endure with an eternal perspective.
Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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