13 days ago

LIVE VICTORIOUSLY FROM INSIDE OUT
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).

In 2 Corinthians 4:16, the Apostle Paul draws a sharp contrast between the outward man and the inward man. He says, "...though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." He was referring to the physical challenges and persecutions he and his companions faced in ministry: the bruises, beatings and hardship. Yet, in all of it, he affirmed the continual strengthening of the inward man.

He went on to describe these trials as "light affliction" (verse 17). It wasn't that the afflictions were naturally light, but compared to the glory that was to be revealed, they were insignificant. He said, "...our light affliction... worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." This is a spiritual perspective, one only possible when you view life through the eyes of the Spirit.

Paul shows us the principle behind such confidence: "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen..." (verse 18). That's profound. You can only look at unseen things through the eyes of your spirit. And Paul tells us why this matters: "... the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (verse 18). Spiritual things are real and permanent; they're the things that matter.

Peter echoes this truth in 1 Peter 3:4, where he speaks of "the hidden man of the heart," another name for the inward man. He describes this man as possessing "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." Though hidden, God wants this inward man to shine outwardly, to dominate your visible life.

Let the recreated human spirit gain the ascendancy. Let the beauty, discipline and strength of the inward man become the ornament of your life. That's how to live victoriously from the inside out.

Prayer / Confession
Dear Father, thank you for the strengthening and renewal of my inward man. I fix my gaze on eternal realities and live daily from the spirit. The qualities of my recreated spirit dominate my outward life, bringing glory to your Name, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further study
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 AMPC; 1 Peter 3:4; Matthew 12:35

1-year bible reading plan
Hebrews 4:1-13; Jeremiah 41-43

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