Habits
As his custom was, he went into the synagogue.
(Luke 4:16)
If you want to be like Jesus, study His habits and make them yours! Your talent doesn’t determine your future. The brilliant young actor, River Phoenix, died in a drug-induced convulsion on Hollywood Boulevard, because he couldn’t “kick” his habit. If you want to know what your future holds, keep a diary of your daily habits for a month, and then you can write your own obituary. Do you want to be like Jesus? He rose before any of His disciples to pray. He wouldn’t have thought of facing the day without it! Imagine, He did, but we don’t! David said, “Morning, noon, and evening I will pray … and He shall hear my voice” (Psalms 55:7). That sounds like a habit!
Do you pray even five minutes a day? That’s less than one-half percent of your waking hours. During Prohibition, Congress ruled that anything that contained less than one-half percent alcohol was “non-intoxicating.” That means you can’t feel the effects; it doesn’t change your perceptions; it doesn’t change the way you walk and talk! You say, “How long should I pray?” The answer is, “Until you feel the effect—until it changes your perception—until you walk and talk differently.”
Gass, B. (1998). A Fresh Word For Today : 365 Insights For Daily Living (p. 267). Bridge-Logos Publishers.
