TEXT
2 Corinthians 4:16–18
KEY VERSE
“Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16, KJV
REFLECTION
We often think about getting older when we notice the grey hairs or when we look at a photograph and realize just how much time has passed. Then it hits us: we are not where we used to be.
That realization can bring gratitude, sadness, or a little of both.
But Paul’s words invite us to look at something deeper.
Paul was not actually writing about ageing. He was writing about what suffering was doing to him. His body was being worn down as he carried out his calling, yet he could still say, “the inward man is renewed day by day.”
What was happening to him on the outside was not the whole story.
Ageing gives us a small picture of this reality. Our strength and abilities change. Some seasons close and cannot be reopened. Our bodies remind us that this present life is not permanent.
But Paul draws our attention to what can happen within us: the inward man can be renewed.
And this renewal is “day by day.”
We cannot live indefinitely on yesterday’s experience with God. Our inward life needs continual nourishment. We must, therefore, keep coming to His Word, keep praying, keep listening when He corrects us, and keep surrendering the places in our hearts we would rather hold on to.
Renewal is God’s work in us, but it happens as we keep walking with Him, abiding in Christ (John 15:4–5), and allowing Him to transform us by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).
Paul then gives us another reason not to lose heart. The things wearing us down now are not the end of the story. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Paul could endure what was happening to his outward man because he had learned to see beyond it. His suffering was temporary, but the glory ahead was eternal.
This changes how we should see the passing of time.
Perhaps you have learned patience because things didn’t happen when you wanted them to, or failure has made you less eager to judge others.
Or maybe God has used experiences you never would have chosen to make you wiser, and more dependent on Him.
But time itself does not make us Christlike.
We can grow older without growing deeper in Christ. We can accumulate years without gaining wisdom. We can become more experienced while becoming more set in our ways.
That is why Paul’s “day by day” matters. Every day gives us another opportunity to listen, repent, forgive, obey, and keep our hearts soft before God.
Maybe today God is asking you to release an old resentment or He is confronting an attitude you have carried for years.
Do not assume that because something has been with you for a long time, it must remain with you.
Paul finally directs our eyes away from what is temporary and toward what is eternal:
“For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
What we see is changing. Our bodies change. Circumstances change. Seasons change. But what God is doing has an eternal horizon.
So we should ask ourselves “What is God forming in me as the years pass?”
The outward man may progressively and inevitably perish, but the inward man can be renewed day by day. And as we learn to look beyond what is seen, we discover that the passing years are not merely taking something from us. In God’s hands, they can also be preparing us for what is eternal.
KEY TAKEAWAY
The outward man is gradually passing away, but God is renewing the inward man day by day. As we look beyond what is temporary to what is eternal, we can allow God to use even the passing years to form Christ in us.
PRAYER
Lord, as the years pass, do not let me simply become older. Make me more like You. Show me where I have become comfortable with attitudes, habits, or behaviours that need to change. Give me courage to obey You and humility to receive Your correction.
When the outward things of life change, teach me to remember that they are not the whole story. Renew me inwardly day by day. Help me to look beyond what is temporary and fix my heart on what is eternal. Let the years ahead produce deeper faith, greater wisdom, stronger character, and a life that reflects Christ.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
TODAY’S CHALLENGE
Take a few quiet minutes and ask:
“What has God been forming in me through the years?”
Then ask:
“What am I holding on to that God may be asking me to release?”
Write down one thing you are grateful He has changed in you, and one area where you still need to grow.
Start your morning with God.
Daily Breakthrough Bread delivered to your inbox every day. Free.
Missed a day?
Browse the full Daily Breakthrough Bread archive and catch up at your own pace.
