Be Renewed Day by Day

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

Paul suffered through many things on his missionary journeys to the different cities where he preached the gospel. In those days there was no such thing as cars, motorcycles, airplanes, phones, the Internet or email. No text messaging or instant messaging. These people walked, traveled on horses or camels, or traveled by boat. Their forms of long distance communication were letters that took weeks to reach one location from another depending on how far it was. So imagine Paul walking for days on end or on sea for weeks at a time; going through various storms on sea, and suffering heat, cold, rain and other weather hazards on foot. Not to mention that the different places he would travel to had their own dangers. There was the risk of the people not receiving him and stoning him, whipping him, or treating him in an otherwise inhuman way. He suffered physical sickness as well as physical abuse from those who did not want him in their cities. Yet in all this he reminds us that no matter what we suffer for the cause of taking the Gospel to the lost, the broken, and the hurting, it does not affect our inward man. No matter what the body goes through, weariness, sickness, fatigue, abuse, hunger, pain, it is only the outward man that feels these things and perishes. The inward man is being renewed daily through the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit, when we see the fruits of our labor.
We may not suffer the things Paul suffered to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles, but we do suffer because as human beings we feel loss, rejection, pain, and our spirits cry out daily for those that are lost. Yet Paul calls it a light affliction and when you look at it that is exactly what it is. None of us have suffered the things Jesus suffered to save us, so yes, it is a light affliction to be laughed at because you are faithful to God. It is a light affliction to be rejected by your family because you serve God. It is a light affliction when the enemy rises up against you when you try to evangelize a community for Christ. Yes it is but guess what people? It is only for a moment! Maybe not a 60 second moment but before you know it the trial is over, the opposition is gone, the giants are knocked down with their heads chopped off, and the mountains are moved because our light affliction is working for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory!!
Why?? How can trials work bigger things and eternal glory for us?? Because we look at the things that are not seen, which means we see in the Spirit. We are not looking at the things that are seen because they are temporary. The house is temporary. The car is temporary. The job is temporary. The trial, opposition, giants and mountains are all temporary! They don’t last! But our mansions in heaven are eternal!! They last forever!! So our affliction is light and works for an exceeding and eternal weight of glory because our treasure is not on this earth!! Our treasure is in heaven and it does not perish! Oh brothers and sisters if we look with our spiritual eyes instead of our natural eyes we will see that everything we go through will work out for something greater in the end. Everything we go through brings us that much closer to eternity with Jesus! Praise the Lord! So when you are afflicted, remember that it is light and for a moment for the things we see and look forward to are eternal!

Happy New Year!!!!