By Jay Launius - 2020
We are in full swing of the spring season! The trees plants and flowers are green and colorful. Nature has renewed itself one again. This season can bring to one’s mind ideas of personal renewal, a time to start fresh and new. As believers, we have the great blessing of renewal in times of spiritual difficulty or weakness. When we first come to Christ, the scriptures say that we put off the old man (person) and are renewed in the spirit of our mind (Ephesians 4: 2-24), but it doesn’t stop there. We’ll still struggle with worldly desires and thoughts but have the continued opportunity to avoid conforming to this world, but rather being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). Living the life of a Christian can be overwhelming at times, especially when combined with the physical and mental stresses of everyday life. But our confidence can be found in the following verse, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Just as the tree puts out new leaves, the birds build new nests and the grass grows green again, we have the great blessing of spiritual renewal.