When we were kids, we could hardly wait for birthdays to roll around. Parties with friends and family, presents, cake, ice cream—to children it’s all so exciting. You’ve probably noticed, however, that the older you get, the faster birthdays seem to come around. And while they’re still fun, we begin to see the effects of aging that birthdays bring to us.

The Bible does not avoid the issue of growing older. 2 Corinthians 4:16 confronts it head on saying that “outwardly we are wasting away.” As the years slip by, we find ourselves developing wrinkles, hair loss, and aches and pains we never felt before. We may even shrink an inch or so in height.

But the Bible doesn’t stop with saying that outwardly we are wasting away. The same verse goes on to say, “yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Are we? While we can’t stop aging, can we really be renewed day by day? Yes, I believe so, and here are three ways:

First, we are renewed when we feed on God’s Word. New insights from the Bible give us a fresh understanding of God each day.

Secondly, we’re renewed when we worship. When Paul and Silas had been beaten in Philippi and thrown into prison, they sang praises to God in spite of the pain. And their strength was renewed.

Third, we’re renewed when we change our focus.  2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT says, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” Those three practices—reading God’s Word, worship, and focusing on the eternal–will renew your strength for the work God yet has for you to do.