READ: GALATIANS 5:16-25, 6:7-10; COLOSSIANS 3:1-17

Have you ever thought about how your habits form you and take you places? For example, if you have a habit of brushing your teeth every day, your teeth are likely healthy. If you were to neglect this habit, it would be quite obvious.

Developing intentional, healthy habits is something that we, as Christians, are called to do. But there are other habits that seem to sneak in without us even realizing, and sometimes these habits are negative. These unexamined, negative habits could be hours of scrolling through social media, staying up way too late every night, or even keeping a messy bedroom (I’ve really struggled with that last one). These habits can leave us anxious, exhausted, and overstimulated.

Why do our habits matter to God? Well, Romans 12:1 says to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” It calls this our “true and proper worship.” Being a “living sacrifice” affects our whole lives—including our day-to-day habits. Of course, we can’t do this perfectly. Jesus is the only perfect sacrifice. Through His sinless life, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, He made the way for us to be with Him forever. And, if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, He is living in us through the Holy Spirit, empowering us to live as holy and pleasing sacrifices and to develop intentional, God-honoring habits. These habits help us focus on Jesus’s presence with us and remember that we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. They could be Scripture reading, prayer, worship, being part of a Christian community, or journaling. These habits are easier some days than others, but when we continue in them, we often find that we continue to trust Jesus and His love for us more and more. And as we grow in our understanding of His love, we also grow in our love for God and our neighbors. We learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24).

Forming habits is not about trying to earn your way into the Kingdom of God. We can only become God’s people by putting our trust in Jesus. Habits, however, are great practical ways to deepen our relationship with Jesus and learn to walk in step with Him. • Joshua Schmitz

• Over the next few days, consider paying attention to your habits. What do you do when you get up in the morning? Before you go to bed? Before you leave home? When you get home? As you notice these habits and patterns in your life, ask, “Where is this habit leading me?” Is it leading you to live according to today’s Bible passages (Galatians 5:16-25, 6:7-10; Colossians 3:1-17)?

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)