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Ambassador Baptist Church
1926 Babcock Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)477-3210
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   You Are Here: Bridge / Galley / Pastor's Pen / Pathways Through Paul
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Pathways Through Paul Daily Devotional
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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional

November 1
Click on verses for Full Scripture
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Today's Pathway:


 II Corinthians 4:16
  1. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

His Majesty's Service

 We concluded yesterday with Paul's statement that his goal was to bring glory to God by seeing men saved through the preaching of the Gospel. In verse 16 Paul writes that this is the reason that he doesn't give up. The souls of men are far more important than any material comforts that he might prefer to enjoy. The opportunity to bring glory to God far outweighs the desire to relax and take it easy. Paul then gives insight into what it is that allows him to stay motivated. It is certainly not the situation in which he finds himself. Those conditions are impacting his body to the point where it could perish. The word "perish" means "to rot or decay". It would be bad enough to be executed, and we know that this was Paul's ultimate fate. But Paul was "dying daily" (I Corinthians 15:31). The trials and troubles that he faced took their toll on his body on a daily basis. Even when he was not suffering physical oppression (II Corinthians 11:23-27), he was dealing with the emotional burden of caring for all the churches (II Corinthians 11:28), and we know that emotional stress can certainly impact someone physically. Yet Paul says that in spite of that he can keep pressing on because his "inward man" is being renewed on a daily basis.

 How did this happen? It was all because of his personal relationship with the Lord. The verb "renewed" is passive, which means that Paul is not causing the renewing, but Someone else is. The Holy Spirit will renew us emotionally and spiritually as we read, study, and meditate on the Scriptures, and then put into practice what they say. Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches this three step plan:

"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
Romans 12:2 gives a similar principle:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Colossians 3:9-10 echoes this:
"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."
Paul chose to trust the Lord in spite of his tribulations. He chose to obey the Lord though it cost him greatly. He allowed the Holy Spirit to do His job of being the Comforter, and received from Him the assistance that he needed to face every day.

 Notice that Paul says that he was renewed "day by day" The believer needs strength for today. He will need more strength for tomorrow. It is not sufficient to simply recall the spiritual vitality that we had in days gone by. The blessing is that God is willing to renew us on a daily basis if we will allow Him to do so. Albert Barnes had these comments on Paul's daily renewal:

"There was a daily and constant increase of inward rigor. God imparted to him constant strength in his trials, and sustained him with the hopes of heaven, even as the body was decaying, and tending to the grave. The sentiment of this verse is, that in its effort to do good and promote the salvation of men, the soul will be sustained in trials, and will be comforted and invigorated even when the body is weary, grows old, decays, and dies. It is the testimony of Paul respecting his own experience; and it is a fact which has been experienced by thousands in their efforts to do good, and to save the souls of men from death."

 Our bodies may be decaying, but our relationship with the Lord should be growing. Are you being renewed daily? Are you allowing the Spirit to do His work because you are reading and practicing the Bible? If not, today would be a great day to begin.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery

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His Majesty's Service
Home of Ambassador Baptist Church
1926 Babcock Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)477-3210
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