We are creatures of habit who easily adapt to convenient routines to suit our lifestyle. For many of us, going to church on Sunday and saying grace before we eat is the extent of our Christian walk. Others  recite daily prayers and repeat scheduled Bible verses. But it’s time for Christians to see beyond their own image in the mirror and seek out a fresh vision!

The downfall of complacent routines is that they become an anticipated habit that we often do without any premeditated thought. Our morning bathroom chores get done without any great deal of concentration. We just do them—out of habit.  And likewise, if our Christian walk has become a lifeless routine, then perhaps it’s time for a change.

It’s good to go to church, but we can’t leave our Christian walk totally in the hands of the pastor. We need to bring the reality of God into our souls daily. Many Christians rely on others to teach them about God, but what if that teacher is wrong? Or is a deceiver? Do they really think that Heaven will be their eternal home if they don’t personally know  Jesus, or that the only way to get there is through Jesus?

The good news is that God has made a way to break that habit, and it’s easy. It’s called the Bible! Everything we will ever need to know about God is contained in the Scriptures. And God gave us His Spirit so that when we study them, He will teach us the truth.

When we get hungry for the things of God, He will feed us! And it won’t be just a snack that satisfies for the moment; it will be a complete meal that nourishes our soul. Just as our earthly body needs a few meals throughout the day to stay alive and healthy, our soul needs a few Spiritual meals throughout the day, as well.

Studying the Scriptures feeds the soul. Praising Him and thanking Him for everything draws us close to Him. Sharing the gospel with others and doing His will fulfills our purpose in His Kingdom. When God is at the forefront of our minds and our hearts, His Spirit in us feeds us with knowledge and wisdom, peace and joy, trust and faith.

We read in the Old Testament how God worked with specific people to keep the nation of Israel alive. He loved the Jewish people, and He took care of them, even though they so often rebelled against Him. And He raised up heroes to sustain them until the time would come for Jesus to be born. And when Jesus came, He fulfilled the law and provided our salvation so that we could have God’s Spirit in us and never stray from Him again.

[The Crown Series, a collection of Bible heroes who God worked with to save the nation of Israel. They will help you to know and love God.]

Christians need to diligently seek after God’s face—to know Him, and not just His hand—to get riches from Him. Christians need to break away from their habit of just making their relationship with God a daily routine that comes without thought or heart. It’s time to search our hearts and be honest! It’s time for us to know the truth—is our “Christianity” just a habit, or is it a walk with God?

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23 to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. But we can’t do this if we don’t know Him.  We can only do this if our daily routine is to seek Him and love Him and serve Him with our whole heart.

• So He [Jesus] answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”—Luke 10:27 NKJV

It’s time to put the old habits aside and get serious for God! Jesus is going to return soon, and it will be too late then to start digging into the Scriptures so we can know Him. He’s giving us this opportunity now—now is the time to seek Him! We need to study the Scriptures and know God so we can be His disciples and share the good news with others.

Let’s put aside our dormant habits and seek out a fresh vision—a vision where Christ is the most important person in our life! Let’s seek Him daily while He can be found so that we can know Him, and let’s make this our new daily habit. Then when we get to Heaven, Jesus will open His arms and welcome us Home because our relationship with Him was not just a mundane prayer of habit; it was a daily walk with our Savior!

Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.—Matt. 25:21

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Have a blessed day!… ronnie dauber