Focus: Daily Renewal

Text: 2Cor.4:16

"For which cause we faint not; but though our OUTWARD MAN perish, yet the INWARD MAN is renewed day by day."

Peter calls the 'inward man,' the "hidden man of the heart." In 2Cor.5:17, Paul refers to it as the "new creature" that marks the end of the old and the beginning of the new. Paul also describes it as God's "workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…" (Eph.2:10). We are God's work of art, a divine masterpiece of a human being - a brand new being that has never existed before. The believer in Christ is born again and born by the Spirit. He is the spiritual man, and here in our text, he is the inward man - the new self within the old one.

Every day we face a situation where our physical being is experiencing some kind of devolution. The troubles and activities of this life take a heavy toll on us. Little by little we diminish and disappear as we grow older. Every day our life is oozing out, our strength is dwindling, and our date with death is getting closer. But here is the good news: as our outward man is going down by the day, so is our inward man going through the process of daily renewal. 

We are being renewed by our faith and by our hope. Our inward man is never subject to the law of diminishing returns. He is incapable of growing old and dying. The inward man is being renewed or becoming new each day.

Paul tells us where the renewal needs to take place. He says, "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph.4:23). We develop in the area of our spiritual mentality. We let the word of God dwell in our hearts richly and rule over our lives. We let the light of the word shine in us and the heat of the Spirit set our hearts on fire. We are daily renewed by the word and ignited by the Spirit.

Paul tells us what the renewal is about. He says, "And have put on the new man, which is RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE after the image of him that created him" (Col.3:10). The new man is being renewed in knowledge. Our knowledge base expands daily. 

That knowledge is particular; it is the knowledge of our true identity and spiritual essence - becoming a full expression of the Christ-image.

We grow in the knowledge of Christ.

The psalmist also has something to say about renewal. He says that God "satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Ps.103:5). I believe that our daily spiritual renewal also impacts on our physical, mental and emotional health. Our total personality experiences the positive effects of our spiritual renewal. We eat healthy spiritual food that nourishes our whole system.

Also, Job in his time experienced fresh glory and renewed strength. He says, "My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand" (Jb.29:20). Job's glory was being refreshed day by day. The word 'bow' speaks of strength. His glory didn't wane and his energy didn't decrease. He enjoyed ever-increasing glory. Paul says, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2Cor.3:18). The glory of the new man never fades. As we daily behold and consider Jesus, we encounter fresh glory and power. As we practice the presence of God we experience the empowering and the glow of the Spirit. The oil of joy flows in us. We receive fresh oil from the Holy Spirit. By the growing knowledge of Christ in us our hope is being renewed and our spirit fired up. In God's presence we experience joy and pleasure, and the fire of our love for God burns with greater intensity and energy.

Each moment of change takes us to a new level of glory. Our lives get better and rise to new levels of glory.

One more Scripture on renewal. "And when Asa heard these words, and THE PROPHECY of Oded the prophet, he took COURAGE, and PUT AWAY the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and RENEWED THE ALTAR of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD" (2Chron.15:8). Asa embraced the prophetic declaration, got spiritually charged and motivated, acted on the word, dismissed the idols, and renewed the altar of God. 

The new man renews his altar every day and takes every known idol out. In his life God has no competitor or rival. No day passes that he does not practice the presence of God and obtain new mercies from Him. He takes his fellowship with God seriously. Each day he takes it a step deeper and consecrates his whole being to His service. As he renews his private time with God, he experiences times refreshing from the presence of the Lord. He makes God's presence his personal paradise.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter