Renewed Day By Day – 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

A text – 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

4:13 But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture–“I believed, and so I spoke” –we also believe, and so we speak,
4:14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence.
4:15 Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
4:16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
4:17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,
4:18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

A reflection:

A word of hope in the face of dying from the Apostle Paul. He says that he knows his eternal life rests with the Lord. He knows this because he has thrown his lot in with Jesus, who himself was raised from the dead. His only job is to bring this good news to as many people as possible, for then the thanksgiving to God will grow as big as possible, no matter whether people are healthy and young or broken and dying. Paul is sometimes beset, but he knows his afflictions will pass when he is raised to new life in Christ.

It is hard sometimes to see the bigger picture of eternity. But it is that bigger picture which places our human woes into perspective and gives us hope for our future. And I am here to tell you that that perspective, that hope that lives in our hearts, that hope is like a beacon. Others can see it, are drawn to it. When they are down and feeling helpless, a person who has faith and hope just walks into the room and you know things somehow will be all right.

If you know someone who is hurting or hopeless, and you just show up today, even if you don’t put your hope into words, they will feel your light. They will see that, as Paul says in verse 16, your inner nature is being renewed day by day. You can bring that gift of hope to someone. Who will it be?

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being our God, and thank you for renewing us, day by day. Help us to share that presence, that Good News, with someone on our path today. Help us to remember that we have a little light, and that we are gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Amen.