"....though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." The apostle Paul has, in this and a few prior verses in the chapter, been referring to the trials and suffering that he and those like him must endure as a servant of Jesus Christ in order to effectively minister the Gospel, in its purity, to others- in this case, the Corinthians. The lengths to which God will go in bringing us to the place where He wants us spiritually may be very intense and extreme, and yet it is well worth all of it to the apostle Paul. It must be worth it to today's believers as well, if we are to have any real spiritual power.

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you" (2 Corinthians 4:8-12).

Every single believer will face this in his or her life, in exactly the way that God chooses to bring it about in the individuals life. It has been called the way of the cross, it has been referred to as death to self...It is very real. It is painful- and is ultimately beneficial to both the one enduring the trial, and those to whom he or she will eventually minister.....

Kathryn Kuhlman has been quoted as saying, "You cannot give anybody else that which you yourself have not received." Even a brief look at her life will indicate that she knew- from experience- exactly what Paul meant in these verses. This cannot be faked. You cannot effectively communicate the love, the compassion, the faithfulness, the majesty of our God until and unless you've experienced them. They do not come from a textbook, or from hearsay- they come only from a life spent in His Presence, and that, beloved, is His will and plan for you. "...though our outward man perish..."- In the original Greek, the word translated 'perish' here means destroyed, or decaying, or corrupted. This is what happens to your self-confidence, your self-pride, your self-reliance when the Lord deals with you. You learn through difficulties, pain, and sorrow to cease trusting in yourself, and to more fully trust in the One Who made you, Who knows you fully, Who loves you unconditionally, Who has only your highest good in mind, and Who, through all of it, COMFORTS you. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. " (2 Corinthians 1:3&4)......

I sometimes think of the 'outward man perishing' as my own mortal body as it slowly ages and is able to do less, and with more strain, than in my youth, and as it requires more effort to function. I tire more easily than in my younger years, my bones and joints pop, and I looked a lot better as a kid than I do now. But I didn't know the Lord in my twenties like I know Him today, and I wouldn't trade that for all of the youth, strength, or hair in the world!....

Miss Kuhlman said something else that I've never forgotten, as she reflected on her age, and how fatigue inevitably increased as she got older, "Wonderful Jesus, why didn't you give me this ministry when I was younger, when I never grew weary in body?" Then God spoke to her heart, "If I would have given it to you then, you would have blown it." She understood. She knew Him.....

Is He your everything? Do you desire to bless others? Will you allow Him to pour you out like a drink offering? Will you trust Him in your pain, in the protracted waiting, when it all looks so impossible and hopeless? Will you imitate the example of the apostle Paul? You will be blessed beyond measure!

En Agape,
Jim Ewing