Day by Day
How much do you want to grow in your spiritual life?
Verse of the Day
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Today’s Devotional
We are deep in the second half of the first month of the year. How’s it going for you so far? Are you spending enough time focusing on God to allow Him the time and space to do a renewing work in you? I could be doing better, but I find that to always be true. What I am doing differently this year is focusing my time and attention on God and learning to enjoy His Presence, rather than on a resolution to lose weight and read more non-fiction. (Those are my normal new year’s resolutions.) But…some days are harder than others. Right? Some days the acts of obedience in practicing spiritual disciplines feel…fruitless. That’s why I love today’s verse.
Read it again: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Paul is reminding us that there is a struggle between our human circumstances and our spiritual growth. And he gives us some great advice.
“We do not lose heart.” Or in other words, WE DO NOT GIVE UP! It does not matter what condition you find yourself in today. If you have Jesus, there is always transformation that He wants to do with each of us. He wants to continually fill us with His love to change us from the inside out. We will be in the process of spiritual growth (or atrophy) for the entirety of our earthly lives. And this process is not always pleasant. No matter where you are in that journey today, please don’t give up. It is so tempting to want to cling to the old, comfortable parts of ourselves that do not serve us or the Kingdom well. But where Jesus offers change, even though it is uncomfortable, He also offers freedom and victory… if we do not give up.
“Outwardly we are wasting away.” Or, our bodies are dying. I’m not sure about you, but my experience is that the aging process of my physical body is not my favorite thing. I’m not sleeping well, and there are aches and pains that are new. However, we must accept that we cannot stop the hands of time. Aging, of our bodies and everything else, happens whether we like it or not. We are being taught in today’s verse that the age of our bodies (or anything else) is not what really matters.
“Inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” My interpretation of this phrase is that we have the opportunity to grow a little bit spiritually every single day. There are very few changes with our faith and spiritual growth that happen quickly. We make tiny amounts of progress each day that we lean into God and put Him first in our lives. Humans tend to want things very quickly and with minimal effort. But that’s not how this works.
So the question becomes, am I doing anything today to make a tiny amount of progress by allowing God to have the time and space to mold me? Tiny progress. That’s all each day needs. Renewal comes as I commit not to give up and to do what I can today to allow God into my life to do His work.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
In what areas have you given up?
Where and how do you need to re-engage with God?
How can you accept the reality of the passing of time? How can you praise God in that process?
How do you need your spirit renewed?
Looking back, what progress do you see?
What can you do today to make a tiny amount of progress in allowing God to have access to your spirit?