An Inside Job

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)

Heard any good goldfish stories lately?

Great, let me tell you one then!

Once upon a time, there was this little goldfish named Skillet who belonged to my middle daughter. Oh, how she cared for Skillet, as one should care for a goldfish.  She fed him every day and regularly cleaned the tank so little Skillet wouldn’t get any infections. She was a very good fish mom.

Sadly, one day little Skillet wasn’t showing any signs of life, so my daughter, who was pretty much over being a good fish mom, decided to give Skillet a proper burial…at sea…via the toilet.  With all reverence due the deceased, she removed his lifeless little body from the tank and, in her words, “dumped him in the toilet.”

Well, there must have been something about that cold toilet water—perhaps it was akin to being baptized in the Jordan—because Skillet got the Holy Spirit and was given new life! Right there in that white porcelain bowl Skillet’s spirit was renewed!  And my daughter, along with her sister also in attendance at this fishy funeral, had church that night gathered around the throne. I regret not being present at this funeral-turned-church service because I missed seeing the look on their faces when that fish turned Pentecostal!

Now, obviously Skillet was never dead—he was just a great actor— but it’s a great story to introduce what we will be talking about today—spiritual renewal, which is being remade into something better through Jesus Christ.

Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that “outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

If you’re over the age of thirty, you may have noticed your body feels a little different to you than it did when you were in your twenties. Maybe your back hurts a little more and goes out occasionally. If you’re over the age of fifty, you may be like me and all the warning lights are flashing on the dashboard. At this stage of life, your back goes out more than you do.

This is simply evidence of the aging process our bodies experience.  You see, our bodies weren’t intended to be eternal, only our soul. So, it stands to reason that this outward part of us, as Paul says, is “wasting away.” There’s good news though.  While our outward being is daily wasting away, our inward being—our soul/spirit—is actually being renewed day by day.

Let’s look a little further into what was happening in 2 Corinthians 4:16…

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians after having already suffered significant persecution and hardship, including imprisonment; flogging; and stoning, as a result of his zealous dedication to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.  Yet, he still wrote this second letter to the church in Corinth, which had experienced much turmoil since Paul had left them, to encourage them in reconciliation to himself and to one another. He didn’t do this with any self-serving agenda. No, he did this so that ultimately the church could continue its work in spreading Christianity.

You see, Paul was already aware of the renewal taking place inside of him because of Jesus Christ. A renewal that he experienced every day as he focused on the truth of The Savior. As he abided in The Messiah. Every day he was being remade into something better through Jesus and this is the message he is sharing with the church in Corinth.

I would like to add that the renewal Paul experienced always positioned him towards and prepared him for eternity; towards and for Heaven.

This renewal was an inside job!

Friend, I have had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ since I was a young child, but I still lose heart when trials barge into my life. I lose heart because of where I place my focus. Paul didn’t focus on what was happening with his body. He focused on what was happening with his soul.

We are eternal beings and will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell. 

Let me ask you, are you like me and lose heart or are you like Paul and allow Jesus to renew you daily?

Will you one day be gathered around the throne—God’s throne—because the Holy Spirit renewed you?

If a little goldfish can experience renewal when touched by cold water, can you imagine the renewal you can have because you’ve been touched by the blood of Christ?