May 13, 2009

Habit Forming

...Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, "I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God." No, this is your time alone with your habit... Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all...Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.

Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest: May 12 Devotional

I think I have been guilty of this from time to time, making my time alone with God a box to be checked so I feel good about myself. Making my prayer and worship, my reflection and meditation more about saying I did it than actually doing it for the pure purpose of being closer to Him.

Do you do that? Does your time with God become habot forming for the purposes of being able to say to others (and yourself) that you have the habit?

Do I need my one on one time with God?

Absolutely.

Do I need my all the time with God?

Even more.





4 comments:

Mikes Sumondong said...

Our Time Alone With God is very essential in our Christian lives. Without it, we won't survive.

Ancoti said...

We wouldn't survive and who would want to?

Tim said...

Very true. I have been guilty of this also. There were times I let my sermon preparation or whatever ministry I was preparing for take the place of my own devotional time or personal Bible study. God is worthy of my best and most precious time not just the leftovers. Thanks for sharing this.

Ancoti said...

Thanks for the comment. We all need to keep a focus on God first, and the rest will fail into place as He wills.