Thanks for joining us for another daily encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled Spiritual Renewal was written by Kimya-Loder.

Chinese medicine has practiced pearl powder exfoliation for thousands of years, using ground pearls to scrub away

dead cells resting at the top of the skin. In Romania, rejuvenating therapeutic mud has become

a widely sought-after exfoliant that's purported to make skin youthful and glowing.

All over the world, people use body care practices they believe will renew even the dullest of skin.

The tools we've developed to maintain our physical bodies, however, can only bring us temporary

satisfaction.

What matters more is that we remain spiritually healthy and strong.

As believers in Jesus, we're given the gift of spiritual renewal through him. The Apostle Paul wrote,

though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. The challenges we face daily can weigh

us down when we hold on to things like fear, hurt, and anxiety. Spiritual renewal comes when we

fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. We do this by turning our daily worries over to God and praying

for the fruit of the Holy Spirit, including love, joy, and peace to emerge anew in our lives.

When we release our troubles to God and allow His Spirit to radiate through us each day. He restores our souls.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from 2 Corinthians chapter 4,

verses 16 through 18. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving

for us in eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Let's pray.

Jesus, each day we face obstacles that threaten to break our spirit, and sometimes we feel defeated.

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