August 3, 2018 LET’S FACE THE FACTS
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet out 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 to think about it or talk about it, but the reality is that our physical bodies are decaying. Exercise and physical fitness is good, but no matter what we do, we cannot stop the aging process. However, that is not the end of the story. If we are the Lord’s, then we are not limited to what is temporal. It is an amazing reality, but this verse points out that all we see with the eye is temporal, while what we do not see with the eye is eternal. When honest, we have to admit that we often find ourselves focused on the temporal more than the eternal. This is not to say that the temporal is evil, or that we should never focus on the temporal; we are to be good stewards of all that God puts in our hand. But, if our main focus is on the temporal, we will live on a much lower plane than God has for us. On the other hand, if we are primarily focused on what is eternal, then the temporal has it proper place in our life. The good news for us is that even though our physical bodies are decaying, it is possible for our inner man to be renewed day by day! Plus, the afflictions we face in this life are working to our advantage in eternal matters-beyond all comparison. (Just because we do not fully understand why we have ‘afflictions’ and how they work for our good does not mean it is not true-it just means that our minds are finite.) Our view of the eternal affects how we deal with and how we view the temporal. How blessed we are as believers too have life that transcends the temporal. The crucial part for us in this is to make sure that our inner man is being renewed day by day. The inner man is renewed as we read God’s word, when we die to ourselves, when we walk by the Spirit, and when we live according to the ways of God. When our inner man is renewed, when our thoughts and our ways are pleasing to the Lord, we experience life to the fullest. Even though our outer man is decaying, let us be men and women of God who have hope and courage, who have our minds renewed, and who believe that “our light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet out 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 to think about it or talk about it, but the reality is that our physical bodies are decaying. Exercise and physical fitness is good, but no matter what we do, we cannot stop the aging process. However, that is not the end of the story. If we are the Lord’s, then we are not limited to what is temporal. It is an amazing reality, but this verse points out that all we see with the eye is temporal, while what we do not see with the eye is eternal. When honest, we have to admit that we often find ourselves focused on the temporal more than the eternal. This is not to say that the temporal is evil, or that we should never focus on the temporal; we are to be good stewards of all that God puts in our hand. But, if our main focus is on the temporal, we will live on a much lower plane than God has for us. On the other hand, if we are primarily focused on what is eternal, then the temporal has it proper place in our life. The good news for us is that even though our physical bodies are decaying, it is possible for our inner man to be renewed day by day! Plus, the afflictions we face in this life are working to our advantage in eternal matters-beyond all comparison. (Just because we do not fully understand why we have ‘afflictions’ and how they work for our good does not mean it is not true-it just means that our minds are finite.) Our view of the eternal affects how we deal with and how we view the temporal. How blessed we are as believers too have life that transcends the temporal. The crucial part for us in this is to make sure that our inner man is being renewed day by day. The inner man is renewed as we read God’s word, when we die to ourselves, when we walk by the Spirit, and when we live according to the ways of God. When our inner man is renewed, when our thoughts and our ways are pleasing to the Lord, we experience life to the fullest. Even though our outer man is decaying, let us be men and women of God who have hope and courage, who have our minds renewed, and who believe that “our light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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