The Outer Self Is Wasting Away - The Inner Self Is Being Renewed
When you see the word "therefore" you should stop and ask, "What is it there for?" The therefore at the beginning of verse 16 points back to that which comes before it; to the promise of our resurrection and the extension of grace to us. With our faith established in Jesus Christ we are not to lose heart but to endure the hardships being experienced. We look at ourselves and we see bodies that are wasting away for various reasons. Maybe it is simply from the process of living, as here in the west, or maybe it is from the abuse it receives from persecution, form the effects of war or natural disasters, etc. If we have been born again we are a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), which God is conforming into the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). So as the outer self waists away the inner self, the new creature in Christ, is renewed day by day as we nourish it from the Word and time with the Lord. Christianity is not about safety, security and comfort, but is a state of daily being crucified with Christ to allow him to live in and through us.
Prayer
Father, life can be so difficult for so many; difficulties caused by such things as relationships, physical, mental or emotional issues, financial or job issues, and persecution for various reasons and in various degrees of intensity. From various forms of abuse or the process of ageing, the physical body is revealing its sentence of death. How thankful I am for the living hope I have in Jesus Christ; for the new creation within me that is being renewed that will live on for ever. It is my prayer that you have been born again and are being renewed day by day.
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