Better Habits
Background
The Old Testament history of God’s favored people is a record of backsliding and rebellion. They resisted Heaven’s grace, abused their privileges, and slighted their opportunities. (The Great Controversy p. 18).
God’s chosen people repeatedly mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets. (2 Chronicles 36:16) Yet God revealed Himself to be merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. (Exodus 34:6-7)
Despite repeated rejections the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and His dwelling place. (2 Chronicles 36:15)
When remonstrance, entreaty, and rebuke had failed, He sent to them the best gift of heaven; nay, He poured out all heaven in that one Gift.
- The Great Controversy (1911) p. 19
I recently wrote about the birth of Jesus on my post “God With Us”. For three and a half years Jesus, the Lord of light and glory, had gone in and out among His people. He “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil,” binding up the brokenhearted, setting at liberty them that were bound, restoring sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk and the deaf to hear, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and preaching the gospel to the poor. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18; Matthew 11:5.
Sadly Israel turned from her best Friend and only Helper. The pleadings of His love were despised, His counsels spurned, His warnings ridiculed. (ibid)
Jesus said, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:40)
Jesus summarized the secret for success in 1 John 15:4-5.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
- John 15:4-5 NKJV
When we fail to develop a habit of remaining in Jesus we are in danger of committing the same mistakes of the Jews in Jesus’ day. We are in danger of claiming to observe rigidly the precepts of God’s law while transgressing all its principles.
As Christians, we regard ourselves as God’s favored people and expect Him to deliver us from our enemies. But could we be slaying our Savior because He reproves our sins? Are we self-righteous, not willing to repent and change our ways, but still expecting salvation? It is easy to look down on the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, but how willing are we to be inconvenienced by Jesus’ teachings? Are we willing to make changes in our lives to live according to His will?
Do you believe it is important for our lives to reflect our values? Should the life of a Christian prioritize God’s will? In other words, should you, as a Christian live according to the light God has already given you?
Do you think God will continue to reveal His truths to you when you refuse to follow what He has already revealed to you? Could your willingness to faithfully follow what God has revealed to you up to this point affect future insights into God’s plan?
Learning about God is not just an intellectual exercise. Our theology ought to have a profound impact on the way we live our lives. Our spiritual wellbeing, our walk with God ought to shape every area of our lives.
It is evident in practical life that a healthy body contributes to a clear and healthy mind. We can all agree that the sharper our mind is the easier it becomes for us to distinguish the will of God and the more likely we are to make better decisions. God communicates to us through our minds. So it is not a stretch to believe that a healthier body, will lead to a healthier mind, which will, in turn, contribute to a stronger spiritual life.
Based on this understanding, I strongly believe in avoiding anything that would cloud my judgment. This includes alcoholic beverages (Ephesians 5:18; Proverbs 20:1; 23:31 ) but extends to anything else that would lessen my intellectual abilities.
One way this principle has been described is temperance. There are many similar definitions and understandings of what temperance is. I like the following definition.
“True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful, and to use judiciously that which is healthful.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 562.)
What I am trying to say is that I strongly believe there is an intimate relationship between the mind and the body. Therefore, to have a strong, well-balanced character, both the mental and the physical powers must be exercised and developed.
3 Main Areas
I have found that my spiritual health hinges on three factors.
Prayer
Bible Study
Personal Relationships
I also see evidence of this reflected in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Prayer
Jesus would often spend time in prayer
Mark 1:35
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Luke 6:12
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
Matthew 14:23
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
Luke 3:21
Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
Luke 5:16
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
Mark 6:46
After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.
Bible Study
We don’t read about Jesus studying the Bible but there is evidence that He was very familiar with the Scriptures since He often quotes it.
Matthew 4 when Satan tempts Him Jesus replies using the Bible.
Matthew 5 during the sermon on the mount “you have heard it said…”
Matthew 9:13; 11:10; 13:14-15; 15:4, 8-9
(Here is a website I found helpful.)
Relationships
There is also evidence that Jesus spent time building relationships with people. In Luke 7:33-34 Jesus describes being accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Evidence of this is also found in Matt 9:10; Luke 15:1-2. Jesus would not have been accused of these things if He had not spent time with tax collectors and sinners.
Therefore I believe that in following the example of Jesus we ought to invest in these three areas.
Start with Elimination
I have noticed that overwork/lack of rest, is detrimental to your health, to your emotional health, to your relationships, to your overall productivity and quality of life.
I am not here to add more to your already busy lives, I am here to invite you to carefully edit your life to remove what is detrimental or at best neutral to make room for what is best and even vital.
What are the little things that eat up your time and do not contribute to your overall health and happiness? What would it take for you to remove these things from your life? What would your life look like without these activities?
Grouping Habits Together
Something that I have found helpful in developing new habits is to group them.
Though there is currently some debate over whether willpower is limited or not, most seem to agree that it is easier to tap your willpower early in the morning, after a period of rest, when you are fresh and have not been weighed down by other decisions.
So if I want to make some new habits, the morning is a good place to begin. If one of the habits I want to develop is to get up early, then I can group with it the habit of going to bed earlier. Though these are two habits, they can be grouped to achieve the goal I want. Also related to getting up early and going to be early is the importance of getting enough sleep. Even adults should aim for 8 hours. This will help you in every way, physically, intellectually, emotionally, etc.
Another habit that I tack on to this one is drinking water when I first wake up. Hydration is vital for every bodily function and I have found it to help me get up and stay up, as opposed to dosing right back to sleep.
Begin the Day with Prayer
Once you go to bed early, get your 8 hours of sleep, wake up and drink a tall glass of water spend time in prayer. Even if you went to bed late, had a terrible night, and woke up late, begin your day with prayer.
If you forget everything else I write and remember to begin your day with prayer you will already have a much better year. I believe more prayer to be the answer to everything!
So make this decision, to begin the day with prayer. And please don’t begin by asking. Begin by praising and thanking God. An attitude of gratefulness will bless you. Do not face life from a position of want but rather from a posture of plenty. Expect God to meet your needs and provide for you and face your day expecting God’s blessings even through all the incredible challenges you will face.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
- Romans 8:28
Start your day thanking God for another day to live and to be a blessing to those around you.
Quiet Time
If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. Do what you can to carve this time out. Once you begin to experience it I am sure you will want to add more time. Don’t expect to find it. Don’t wonder and wish and hope for it. Schedule it, write it, tell people you’re busy. The text messages emails and phone calls can wait. This is a matter of life and death.
You must spend quiet time daily with God and in the study of His word, the Bible. This is how God will guide you. Prayerful study of the Bible will transform your life, and Satan will do all that he can to make sure you don’t have this time. You will have to make this a priority or it will not happen.
Don’t be too busy for Jesus and the wonderful things He wants to teach you and to reveal to you through the Bible. Prayerfully read the Bible every day. It doesn’t have to be a long text. But please do it prayerfully and thoughtfully.
Relationships
Spend time with people. Put away the screens. Look at someone in the eye.
Ask questions. Listen. Be present.
To fail to do this is to fail to live, to truly live. Connect with others. Life is short. People crave genuine connections. People are more important than whatever is happening on the screens around you.
Below are some other habits I am working on for the new year in case you want to join me.
