Don’t Lose Heart

We do not lose heart.2 Corinthians 4:16You might read these words and think, Really? How am I supposed to live in a world like this and not lose heart? How can I face the pressures all around me and not be discouraged?The answer is previewed for us at the end of chapter 4 and delivered in full in chapter 5. The apostle Paul’s headline is delivered in three contrasts: Paul speaks about the outer self and the inner self: “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (4:16). Paul talks about present affliction and eternal glory: “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (4:17). Paul contrasts what is seen, which is passing, with what is unseen and lasts forever: “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (4:18).What are we dealing with? All the pressures that are part of life in this body (our outer self), and all the circumstances of life that bring pressure to bear on us (our present afflictions). We’re also facing the discouragement of the world in conflict and the church in compromise (what is seen).Put all that together and it’s not surprising that so many get discouraged. But Paul says, “We do not lose heart”! How? We endure by fixing our eyes on the renewal of our inner self, and the eternal weight of glory that will far outweigh all that can be seen.What are your eyes fixed on today?