Renewed

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4.16-18

This is a very timely passage. Just last week I saw a video by Joni Erickson Tada celebrating the 52 anniversary of a diving accident that made her a quadriplegic. Her story is amazing and well worth following up by reading her biography of just googlin the story of her life. Her story has always interested me because she broke her neck almost exactly how I broke mine with damage to the same area of her neck.

Joni chooses this time to celebrate what God has allowed her to do since. She, more than most of us, understands the phrase ‘our outward man is perishing.’ Her injury and subsequent paralysis has taken a tremendous toll on her body. On top of that she has had a couple of bouts with cancer. Her video describes her perishing out self.

What she chooses to focus on though is that her inner self is being renewed day by day by day. As we age and our bodies start to break and wear out there is no excuse for our spiritual lives to fail. This is the time for us to press on to greater and greater things in our spiritual lives. God will keep renewing our inner selves as we depend more and more on Him and less and less on our flesh.

May I dedicate myself to the renewal of my inner man day by day.