THE POWER FOR DAILY RENEWAL

"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16).

"According to his mercy be saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5).

With every new day, the life of nature is renewed. As the sun rises again with its light and warmth, the flowers open, the birds sing, and life is everywhere stirred and strengthened. As we rise from the rest of sleep and eat our morning food, we feel that we have gathered new strength for the duties of the day.

Our inner life needs daily renewal, too. It is only by fresh nourishment from God's Word and fresh communion with God Himself in prayer that the vigor of the spiritual life can be maintained and grow. Our outward man may perish, and the strain of work may exhaust us, yet the inner man can be renewed day by day.

Renewed By The Spirit

A quiet time and place with the Word and prayer are the means for daily renewal. To be effective, these means must be empowered by the Holy Spirit, the mighty power of God that works in us.

In the text from Titus, we are taught that we have been "saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." These two expressions are not meant to be a repetition. The regeneration is one great act, the beginning of the Christian life. The renewing of the Holy Spirit is a work that is carried on continuously and never ends.

In Romans 12:2, we read of the progressive transformation of the Christian life, that it is by "the renewing of the mind." In Ephesians 4:22, 23, while the words "put off the old man" indicate an act done once for all, the words "be renewed in the Spirit of your mind" are in the present tense and point to a progressive work.

Even so, in Colossians 3:10, we read, "ye have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." We can count on the blessed Spirit for the daily renewal of the inner man in the inner chamber.

In our private devotions, everything depends upon our maintaining the true relationship to the adorable third person of the blessed Trinity. It is only through the Holy Spirit that the Father and the Son can do their work of saving love, and through whom the Christian can do his work. That relationship may be expressed in two very simple words-faith and surrender.

Faith And Surrender

Faith. Scripture says, "God hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). The child of God, who in his morning devotion offers up prayer pleasing to the Father, must remember that he has received the Holy Spirit as the spirit of prayer. The Spirit's help is necessary to enable us to pray effectually. This is also true with the Word of God. It is by the Holy Spirit alone that the truth in its divine meaning and power can be revealed to us and do its work in our hearts.

If the daily renewal of the inward man in the morning hour is to be a reality, take time to meditate, to worship, and to believe with your whole heart that the Holy Spirit has been given to you. Believe that He is within you and that through Him God will work the blessing which He gives through prayer and the Word.

Surrender. Do not forget that the Holy Spirit must have complete control. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14). It is the ungrieved presence of the Spirit that can give the Word its light and keep us in that blessed life of childlike confidence and obedience which is pleasing to God. Let us praise God for this wonderful gift, the Holy Spirit in His renewing power. Let us look with new joy and hope to the inner chamber as the place where the inner man can indeed be renewed from day to day. Our life will be kept fresh, and we will go on from strength to strength to bear much fruit, so that the Father may be glorified.

If all this is true, we need to know who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. As the third person of the Trinity, it is His work to bring the life of Go to us, to hide Himself in the depth of our being, and make Himself one with us. He is to reveal the Father and the Son, to be the mighty power of God working in us, and to take control of our entire being. He asks only one thing— simple obedience to His leading. The truly yielded soul will find in the daily renewing of the Holy Spirit the secret of growth, strength, and joy.