This verse caught me the other day, and it can be found in 2 Corinthians 4:16. Paul writes, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (NKJV).
You know, folks’ life has a way of wearing us down. The body gets tired. The years take their toll. Troubles come, one after another, and sometimes it feels like everything on the outside is just falling apart.
Paul knew all about that. He had been beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, cold, and criticised by his own people. But he says, “We do not lose heart.” Why? Because there is something far more important going on than what you can see with your eyes.
Paul makes a clear distinction here between the outward man and the inward man. The outward man, that's this old body, this tent we're living in right now. It is perishing, decaying, and temporary. The beatings leave marks. The hardships leave scars. Age leaves wrinkles and aches. That's just the reality of living in these fallen bodies in a fallen world.
But praise God, that is not the whole story! The inward man, that’s the real you, the born-again spirit that God has made new in Christ, that inward man is being renewed day by day. Notice the tense: it is passive. God is doing the renewing.
We're not pumping ourselves up or trying harder in our own strength. No, the Holy Spirit is at work every single morning, bringing fresh life, fresh faith, fresh love for Jesus into the inner man.
I love that phrase in this verse, notice with me “day by day”. It is not once in a while that we have that spiritual feeling. Not just on Sunday when attending church. But every day, quietly, faithfully, God is strengthening that inward part of us. Even when the outward part feels weaker than ever, the inward man is growing stronger.
Now let's look at some other verses that tie right into this glorious truth.
Jesus said in John 10:28-29, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” Folks, if you are in Christ, you are held secure. Nothing, no weakness, no trial, no failure, can snatch you out of those mighty hands. Your salvation isn't hanging by a thread depending on how strong you feel today. It's held by the Lord Himself.
Then Paul declares in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing can separate you from God's love. The outward man may be failing, but God's love never fails. It never wavers. It never grows cold. It's the one constant in a changing world.
And listen to Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God started the work when He saved you, and He's not going to quit halfway. He finishes what He starts. That inward renewal? It's part of His perfect plan. He will keep renewing you until the day you see Jesus face to face.
Even Proverbs 10:7 reminds us, “The memory of the righteous is blessed.” A life lived trusting Christ leaves a sweet fragrance, a blessing that outlasts the outward decay.
So where do we put our eyes? Paul tells us in the very next verses: not on the things that are seen, which are temporary, but on the things that are unseen, which are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). The afflictions are light and momentary when you compare them to the eternal weight of glory God is working in us.
Folks, don't lose heart. The outward man is perishing; we all know that. But the inward man is being renewed day by day by the grace of God. Rest in that. Trust Him for it.
Let Him do His work in you today.
As a believer for many years, I have gone through the mill of challenges, personally and with family issues, and I want to lay this devotional with a heavy emphasis on God's sovereignty and grace. We must understand that He does the renewing, completing, and keeping.
Eternal security shines through. Once saved, God finishes what He started.
May the Lord bless you richly as you walk with Him, day by day.
In His love,
Peter
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