Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
—2 Corinthians 4:16
According to His mercy He 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, birds sing, and life is everywhere stirred. As we rise, 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 communion with God in prayer, that the vigor of the spiritual life can grow. Our outward man may perish and work may exhaust us, yet the inner man can be “renewed day by day.”
A quiet time with the Word and prayer are the means for daily renewal. To be effective, these means must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. In 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 a repetition. Regeneration is one act, the beginning of the Christian life. The renewing of the Holy Spirit is a work that is carried on continuously.
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, “[You] 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 devotions, everything depends upon maintaining the true relationship to the third person of the Trinity. It is only through the Holy Spirit that the Father and the Son can do their work, and through whom the Christian can do his work. This may be expressed in two simple words, faith and surrender.