Meshach
January 28th, 2009, 1:51 PM
2 Corinthians 4:16, "Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day"
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Have you ever seen the Concorde airplane up close? When I was stationed in Keflavik, Iceland the Concorde made an emergency landing at the airport located at the U. S. Naval Station, and the crew gave tours of the aircraft. Did you know that tremendous heat is generated on the exterior of the Concorde airplane when it flies at supersonic speed? The outer surface temperature of the plane can get up to 127° C (261° F) even though the outside air temperature is - 56° C or (-69° F). The expansion caused by this heat makes the plane approximately nine inches longer at cruising speed than when resting on the ground. The cabin floor of the aircraft is built on rollers and doesn't expand, and there are four air-conditioning systems that keep the inside air temperature comfortable. While the outside of the plane is undergoing tremendous stress, the inside climate remains constant. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 describes our "outward man" as perishing under the heat of great stress, while our "inward man" is being renewed day by day. Please note the contrast (1) On the outside, pressed on every side … on the inside, not crushed; (2) On the outside, perplexed … on the inside, not in despair; (3) On the outside, persecuted … on the inside, not forsaken; (4) On the outside, struck down … on the inside, not destroyed. My brethren, when we are faced with trials, we too can have an inner strength through Jesus Christ (v. 11). However, our part is to look beyond the temporal to the eternal v. 18, and to renew our minds daily (Ephesians 4:23), through the Word of God and prayer.
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I will conclude this post with an illustration taken from Our Daily Bread … Wilfred Yoder is one of the most enthusiastic Christians I know, even though he has suffered with the pain of arthritis for many years. When people greet him and inquire, "How are you today?" he cheerfully answers, "Just fine!" Those who know of is pain sometimes question his sincerity. "How can you say you're fine when you're in so much pain!" Wilfred's standard response is, "How I feel has very little to do with how I am. You see, the part of me that hurts is just a shell, not the real me, and the real me is just fine!" What Wilfred calls a shell; Paul called a tent (2 Corinthians 5:1). And the "real me" that Wilfred refers to, the apostle called the inward man. Although Wilfred's earthly tent is painful and perishing, he realizes that it is after all just a temporary housing for the inward man. One day he will exchange it for his permanent home awaiting him in heaven. That is his confidence. But until then, the inward Wilfred is conscious of being renewed daily.
__________
(1) How are you today?
(2) Is your tent drooping? If so, remember, if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, a perfect body awaits you one day. However, until then, no matter what's on the outside, on the inside we can say as Wilfred did, "I'm just fine!"
__________
Have you ever seen the Concorde airplane up close? When I was stationed in Keflavik, Iceland the Concorde made an emergency landing at the airport located at the U. S. Naval Station, and the crew gave tours of the aircraft. Did you know that tremendous heat is generated on the exterior of the Concorde airplane when it flies at supersonic speed? The outer surface temperature of the plane can get up to 127° C (261° F) even though the outside air temperature is - 56° C or (-69° F). The expansion caused by this heat makes the plane approximately nine inches longer at cruising speed than when resting on the ground. The cabin floor of the aircraft is built on rollers and doesn't expand, and there are four air-conditioning systems that keep the inside air temperature comfortable. While the outside of the plane is undergoing tremendous stress, the inside climate remains constant. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 describes our "outward man" as perishing under the heat of great stress, while our "inward man" is being renewed day by day. Please note the contrast (1) On the outside, pressed on every side … on the inside, not crushed; (2) On the outside, perplexed … on the inside, not in despair; (3) On the outside, persecuted … on the inside, not forsaken; (4) On the outside, struck down … on the inside, not destroyed. My brethren, when we are faced with trials, we too can have an inner strength through Jesus Christ (v. 11). However, our part is to look beyond the temporal to the eternal v. 18, and to renew our minds daily (Ephesians 4:23), through the Word of God and prayer.
__________
I will conclude this post with an illustration taken from Our Daily Bread … Wilfred Yoder is one of the most enthusiastic Christians I know, even though he has suffered with the pain of arthritis for many years. When people greet him and inquire, "How are you today?" he cheerfully answers, "Just fine!" Those who know of is pain sometimes question his sincerity. "How can you say you're fine when you're in so much pain!" Wilfred's standard response is, "How I feel has very little to do with how I am. You see, the part of me that hurts is just a shell, not the real me, and the real me is just fine!" What Wilfred calls a shell; Paul called a tent (2 Corinthians 5:1). And the "real me" that Wilfred refers to, the apostle called the inward man. Although Wilfred's earthly tent is painful and perishing, he realizes that it is after all just a temporary housing for the inward man. One day he will exchange it for his permanent home awaiting him in heaven. That is his confidence. But until then, the inward Wilfred is conscious of being renewed daily.
__________
(1) How are you today?
(2) Is your tent drooping? If so, remember, if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, a perfect body awaits you one day. However, until then, no matter what's on the outside, on the inside we can say as Wilfred did, "I'm just fine!"