Residual Renewal

Our inner self is being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16

Perhaps when you were a child you heard that the cells in your body are replaced every seven years. You might think, if that were true, you would be a new person each time another seventh year rolled around. It does not work that way. Yet cells do change. They grow old and worn out, die, are discarded, and are replaced with new ones to begin the cycle again. Cells in your stomach lining, for example, might be replaced as fast as every two days. Skin cells turn over every two to three weeks. Red blood cells, if your body is healthy, last about four months. But your fat cells have a ten-year lifespan!

The full text of today’s verse says, “So do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Your inner self, the part that connects regularly to God, needs regular renewal. A day of hope will replace a day of disappointment. A day of feeling spiritually strong should take the place of one that was weak. A day of confusion needs to be exchanged for one of confidence. You can name your own needs and the places where God is bringing daily renewal.

In Psalm 51:10, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” He was looking for change.