We all know having a routine is good for us. We allocate time in our day to workout, to do chores, a time to sleep and so on. We even try to do the same in our walk of faith. We set a time to fellowship, to bible study and so on. All this is great but there’s also a downside to having a routine.
When it comes to our daily devotion, we squeeze this in somewhere in our day. Your routine may be to read your bible first thing in the morning and have your prayer time just before bed. Others may choose to read on their commute to work and pray on their lunch break. That is how most of us operate. We dedicate a specific part of our day to Christ. So, what’s the problem? I’m reading and praying, that’s a good thing right? Praise God that you are, but what happens when your prayer time is in the morning but you've woken up late for work and are now in a rush? Are you able to fit your normal prayer time in, or do you find yourself caught up in a hurry putting prayer on hold and most likely forgetting. Another example, your reading time is just before bed but you've had a long day and fallen asleep on the sofa. What happens then? Well you end up missing out on quality time with God because life has gotten in the way.
Routines are a great way to stay on top of things, get yourself organised and make sure your day/life runs smoothly. However, God shouldn’t fall in our routine. He should be our lifestyle. Regardless of how busy your day has been, just as we don’t go without fleshly necessities we shouldn’t go without Christ. This means that throughout the day we should be able to pray, throughout the day we should be able to look at our bibles, throughout the day we should have Christ on our mind. A constant hunger to spend some time with the Lord in worship and devotion. If we choose to plug God in at a certain time of the day, at some point we're going to choose to unplug him. Not because it's intentional but because there is always going to be a distraction.
Jesus is who we face and aspire to be like. His time on earth did not consist of a routine, his life was devoted to his Father, his ministry, his people. Nothing got in the way.
Pray without ceasing,
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
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