Routines

I’m a victim to them —
rather, I’m a victim without.

I have assembled a week with routines that keep me grounded. Every morning, reading the Bible. Every evening, journaling and prayer. Every Tuesday, small group — every Sunday, church.

To many I’m sure this seems insane; almost dutiful. “You have to do all that to be a Christian?!”

Hardly.

The routines I’ve put in place — which I have seldom followed this past month — are not a duty, but rather a gift.

When I have daily reminders of whom God is, of what Jesus gave, of where I will hear the Holy Spirit,

It’s a lot easier to live a life worthy of the title “Christian.”

When someone cuts me off and brake checks me in traffic as I drive to the woodshop, my first instinct is not to become enraged even though that’s a rather natural desire. Instead, having come off of just reading of Joseph’s brothers selling him into Slavery AND his forgiveness towards them in the book of Genesis, I am a humbled man;

I will pray that this person who is in such a rush makes it to their destination safely, that they feel the smoothing presence of God.

But that’s not because I’m a great person — I assure you I am not.

I am a product of my routines, and I have found that if I engage in routines that lead to prosperity, I will prosper.

Yet it’s incredibly difficult to do so.

A non believer may struggle to define the origin of evil, for me it is easy;

The enemy seeks to disrupt these positive routines
The enemy seeks to disrupt community and journaling and even forgiveness itself
The enemy seeks to disrupt prayer; “you must be insane if you think you can talk to God.”

The enemy would prefer I rush through life unaware or unconcerned with what is at stake, or what opportunity I have missed because I “don’t know how to pray,” or “I’m too busy to the read the Bible.”

In short, I suppose the message is as follows;

The more I am reminded of the Glory of God,
The more Christ-like I become.
Flawed, fallen, sinful,

Yet a bit more Christ-like in every day.