Renewal

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in Vain. -1 Cor 15:58

So I have been reflecing over this verse a lot the past few days and as I read into 2 Corinthians I see a wonderful truth that keeps rising to the surface. I think often we think circumstances have the upper hand. we think that Life is a bunch of events of good and bad that happen to happen. We get frustrated, tired, and possibly lonely. We give, give, give, and barely receive. The truth of it is, when you devote yourself to the ministry of serving others full time, you tend to get discouraged. I wish that ministry was all fun and joyous. I wish people would devote themselves to Christ so much that my job would almost be obsolete. I wish every person I talked to had a passion for God. I wish the students that I minister too would just "get it" when God says be obedient to the Scriptures. The problem is, if we are given the chance on our own and if we use our power, we will always choose death in Sin over Life in Christ. So when we look at the fruit of our labor, we must remember that it is not our job to see the results but to be obedient. Because we know that when we work for the Lord, our labor is not in vain.

This brings me to the passage in 2 Corinthians that I want to talk about. 2 Cor 4:16,

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

It is easy to get discouraged when we don't see fruit of our labor in other people that we work so hard to help nurture a relationship with God. But it is even easier to get discouraged and frustrated when we don't see growth in our own lives. Some call it a dry spot, others call it the "night of the soul," I will call it what I think it is.....a trial. The Corinthian people were enduring all sorts of trials and it was evident that outwardly, physically that have had all that they could handle. They were beaten, bruised, their facial expression may have lost the glow they first had when they joined the fellowship of believers. But the author is trying to remind us of another undeniable and exhilarating truth, that through pain and difficulty, whether man made or God made, if we remain in Christ, our obedience will not be in vain, for outwardly we are wasting away, but inwardly God is working in us, through us, and beyond us. Renewal is the result of our obedience that will always be the end product of a believer, even when there are no other results to be found.

Lord, help us to live in a away of constant renewal. Help us to remember that our work is not in vain, but always produces fruits, even when we cant see them.