2 Corinthians 4:16

Have you ever been tempted to give up? Paul talks about this twice in this chapter and concludes that he will never give up, despite having a very demanding ministry. There must have been many occasions when quitting seemed extremely tempting!

We don’t know about every challenge he faced but we do know that he was (in his own words!) hard pressed on every side, perplexed, hunted down and in constant danger of death. It must have been incredibly tough. But Paul was clear: he would not throw in the towel! And here, he gives a firm reason why. Every single day he was being renewed.

Our bodies can’t keep going for ever. From about 25 years old, all of us are in a state of physical and mental decline. From about 18 to 25 years, the number of newly formed cells in our bodies balance the dying ones. However, after 25, the number that are dying are greater than the number of new ones being made. That’s the ageing process. There’s no way of avoiding it. I’m sorry if that isn’t the word of encouragement you were looking for, but stand back! Because even though we are all, inevitably, getting older, God is at work. He is renewing us each day.

God is our creator and, by his Spirit, he continues to work creatively in our lives. I used to think that God’s creative work concluded when he created the world. But that’s not the case. God is a creative God is continually renewing our lives, giving us new hope, new joy, new possibilities, new relationships and new work to do.

We should look to the future with great hope and anticipation. Whatever your age, God has a purpose for your life. As you trust yourself to him, you will be led in many exciting new adventures.

Question

How do you see God renewing your life at present?

Prayer

Creator God, thank you for the miracle of life. I praise you that, whatever my age, your Holy Spirit is at work renewing me day by day. Amen