This week I hope to inspire us to look at the habits we keep: specifically the habits that help us to grow into more mature Christians. Habits for Our Holiness, is the name of a book by Philip Nation. In it, he says,

“The things we plant in our lives are the things that grow in our lives.”

Do we want to grow in our faith? If we are followers of Jesus, then of course we do! In 1 John chapter 2 of The Message paraphrase of the Bible, it says,

“But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.”

The foundational habits that every Christian needs to have in place for growth are: worship, Bible study, and prayer. When we regularly spend time doing these things, we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit’s work- and other habits of holiness begin to take hold as well.

Some other habits are encouraged throughout the scriptures are:

Quiet time

We touch on this each Friday with our Sabbath theme. Jesus withdrew by himself (Mark 1:35) to pray and spend time with his Father. We need that quiet time as well.

Fasting

Fasting, when done out of a love for God, is a way to set aside those things which can become idols if we’re not careful. It’s a way of declaring our dependence on God. A good time to fast is when we’re seeking guidance.

A Servant’s Heart

Jesus served with humility and compassion, always giving to others. This is the attitude we, through the Holy Spirit in us, need to adopt as well.

Community

The “body of Christ” is what Christ’s followers are called. We were not made to live this life alone. We need each other. A maturing Christian has a habit of seeking out other Christians and spending time together. Accountability, encouragement, instruction, and love are all benefits that we both give and receive when we are a part of a community of believers.

Spiritual leadership

A maturing Christian understands the message of the gospel and seeks to share it with unbelievers.

I want to be careful to clarify that I’m not advocating a “works based” message of salvation. We will fail in these habits and God will continue to love us and forgive us. We are not alone to carry them out, either. The Holy Spirit is with us, empowering us and strengthening us as we seek to bring glory to God by growing in our faith and becoming more like Jesus.

I’ll leave you with a couple of resources today that I hope will benefit you as you seek to develop habits of holiness. Below, you’ll find some memory cards that you can print off and cut out. I chose a few short verses on holiness to get you started. You will also find a blank template that you are welcome to put your own choice of scriptures on.

I’ve also included a playlist for you with songs that are perfect for quiet time and study. Enjoy!

1. Book of Days- John Tesh

2. Angel Eyes- Jim Brickman

3. Poem- Yiruma

4. Watermark- John Tesh

5. A Gift of a Thistle- James Horner

6. Evenstar- Howard Shore

7. The John Dunbar Theme- John Barry

8. Amazing Grace- Serafin String Quartet

9. A Thousand Years- Piano Guys

10. Canon in D- Wedding Music Experts

11. Nothing Else Matters- Piano Guys

12. Light of the Seven- Ramin Djawadi

13. The Ludlows (Legends of the Fall)- James Horner

14. Comtine d’un autre…-Yann Tiersen

15. River Flows Through You- Yiruma

16. One Man’s Dream- Yanni

17. Gianni Schicchi- Joshua Bell

18. Piano Concerto No.2 in F Minor- Chopin

19. Begin Again- Piano Guys

20. Hymns of Nature- Jon Schmidt

*If you are an Amazon Prime member, you may also access and listen to the playlist HERE

To download the PDF for today, click HERE

Do any of you have some tips on scripture memorization that you want to share in the comments? Feel free to share those- or anything else you want to talk about!

INSPIRE: Habits