Prayer: Lord, renew our inner nature even as our outer nature is wasting away. Amen.
Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Today would have been the birthday of my childhood babysitter, Beulah. Beulah was like a grandmother to my sister and me. Since we lived hours away from our maternal and paternal grandparents, she filled that role in our lives. Beulah died of cancer when I was about 13-years-old. The last time I saw her was in a hospital bed. She was thinner than I had ever seen her. She came to mind when I read the verse in our appointed text today that reads, “Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” I’m not sure how I feel about that verse. I’ve seen people suffering as they waste way. And I’m not sure deep down that they would feel that their inner nature is being renewed. But I do now that Beulah had great faith. And maybe that is what it means to be renewed daily in your inner nature. Knowing that you can handle whatever life brings you because of your faith in God may be what you need to feel renewed inside. I have to remind myself constantly that I cannot physically do the things that I could do 20 years ago. My outer nature is, too, wasting away. But I can say that my inner nature, my spirit, is stronger today than 20 years ago. I’ve seen God walk beside me through thick and thin and my faith is stronger. May your inner nature be renewed this day and every day of your life! --Chad Hershberger, Camp Mount Luther Director
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