Renewal means to take up again, restore, or replenish. This definition focuses on the meaning of renew, and does not cover the true beauty of this word. The bible uses this word to mean a complete regeneration of our minds and hearts. God is not simply restoring us, but he is bringing his people back to himself by renewing our minds and hearts. He is completely restoring us to himself and making us into a new creation. Ezekiel 11:19 captures this renewal perfectly when it says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (ESV). Every part of us is renewed. Our old self is taken away and we are clothed in holiness and glory. 2nd Corinthians 4:16 says, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (ESV). We are being made into a new creation daily. He is renewing our hearts every single day and is bringing us closer to him. We are dead to sin but are alive in Christ through this renewal we are dead to sin but alive in his goodness. We have been brought into his love through this renewal. Ephesians 4:17-18 says, “now this I say and testify in the lord, that you must no longer walk as the gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."
Renewal is important, because our minds are fallen and contrary to the goodness of God. It needs to be reoriented towards the ways of God. Instead of sin and self-centered, our minds must become God centered. While we are being renewed several things happen. The first thing that happens is that our desires and our desires meld into each other. Our desires match his when we are being renewed. We began to want the goodness that God offers. Through this we are able to see and figure out the will of God. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of god, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (ESV). It is saying that through our renewal, we will be able to see the will of God. We will know him so well that we will be able to know his will and discern it for ourselves.
The second thing that this does, is it takes the focus off of ourselves and it puts them on God. God want his glory to be shown to all of creation and when our desires begin to match his. We want all of the glory to be given to him. Instead of glorifying our own names, we being to glorify his name and we become God focused and not self-focused.
The last thing that it does is it makes us into a vessel that God can use. God is renewing us so that we can be used as vessels for his purposes. We are meant to and called to project his glory to all of the earth. We were chosen for a purpose and are being renewed daily to fulfill this purpose. Colossians 3:10 says, “and have put on a new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (ESV).
He renews us in and through our ordinary everyday lives so that he can use that ordinary for his extraordinary purpose.