SEEING THE INVISIBLE
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18 NKJ
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
OBSERVATION:
What a great chapter! If you have not taken the time to read chapter four, please do. As you read the whole chapter, you get a sense of the chapter. You are able to pick up on what the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul.
Paul talks about some of the difficult things he has gone through in order to preach the gospel of Christ.
He has seen some hard, pressure-filled times, but he is still going. He still has a spirit of faith about him.
Paul recognizes that the man who is not seen is part of his makeup. There is an outward man, the visible part. The outward man is perishing. We know our bodies will not last forever. And as much as we dislike thinking about it, we are all getting older. I know we boomers are trying to reverse this process, but we will not be able to stop it. The good news is that our inner man, the spiritual part of us, is not decaying, perishing, or aging. Our inner man is being renewed day by day.
Paul calls all the stuff he endured a light affliction. This guy went through major traumatic events in his life. Shipwreck, beatings, being stoned to death with rocks. He endured riots and threats and danger around every turn, but he called it light affliction. And he said it was working for him. Talk about a different perspective, seeing the invisible!
Then Paul tells us a secret. He tells us what he is looking at. He is looking beyond the visible things of this world and looking to what lies on the other side. He is looking at things in his life that are eternal. Things about God and His Kingdom. Things involving the mighty Holy Spirit's help. Things that are in line with God's holy eternal word.
Paul saw the invisible and did the impossible.
APPLICATION:
How are we seeing the things in our life? Are we taking care of our inner man? Are we lamenting our troubles or regarding them as not that much? Are we focused on the things that are temporary and changing? Or things that are eternal? These are good questions. Our lives can change as we begin to look to the invisible.
PRAYER:
Father, help me develop a more eternal perspective. Help me see the invisible.