Are you someone who enjoys a routine and mostly does the same things every day? Or are you a go-with-the-flow, spontaneous type?
I am the first, which is probably not surprising. Breakfast is yogurt with granola every morning. I like a plan to follow with no surprises. This is why summer always sends me into a bit of a panic mode since our regular schedule goes out the window!
It’s good for us to build healthy, daily habits into our lives. Recently I was thinking about spiritual habits that are good to practice daily.
As I was looking at Bible passages that include the words “day” and “daily,” I came upon the Israelites. When they were wandering in the wilderness, how often did they have to collect manna? According to Exodus 16:5, daily (with the exception of gathering one day ahead for the Sabbath).
Why daily? Why did they have to get up every morning, go outside, and pick up off the ground what their family needed to eat for the day?
Because every time they bent over, they could be reminded to be thankful. They had to recognize that God was the one who met their need every. single. day. They couldn’t make that manna appear the next morning, but God could.
He knows how forgetful we are. I, as they, need to reminded each day that I am me and He is God.
So I continued in my research, and found several Bible verses that used the word “daily.” I put together five ways that we can apply them in our own lives.
1. Give praise to God.
“…and daily shall he be praised.” ~Psalm 72:15
In what appears to be a description of the future kingdom of the Messiah, this verse tells us that Jesus will be praised daily. If this is a practice we will be partaking in then, wouldn’t it be great to start it now?
Psalm 68:19 reminds us, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” Every day we are given so many blessings. God is truly worthy of our praise.
2. Pray.
“Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.” ~Psalm 86:3
I’ve mentioned before that prayer truly is a discipline. It’s hard work! Yet talking to God every day is vital to our Christian life.
If we’re going to follow the example Jesus gave in the Lord’s prayer and ask for our daily bread, we’ll have to be communicating with Him on a regular basis.
3. Surrender to God’s will.
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” ~Luke 9:23
Die to self. That doesn’t sound very fun. But being a disciple of Christ often means sacrifice.
It seems counter-intuitive, yet God knows that this is how we will find joy. We only have room for one master in our lives. Will it be us or Him?
4. Study God’s Word.
“…they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” ~Acts 17:11
These new Christians were looking through what they had of the Bible – likely just the Old Testament at that time – and searching for truth. As I was thinking about this, I realized that they put me to shame. How often do I search the Scriptures? Yes, I read it, but am I actively looking for God’s truth and how I can apply it to my life today?
5. Encourage one another.
“But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” ~Hebrews 3:13
This encouraging of our fellow believers can be to warn them against sin or to lift one another up when we’re down. As often as possible, let’s pray for one another and not miss opportunities to be an encouragement. Send that text or handwritten note, make that phone call or visit, and support those around you in their faith.
Related posts:
- Living Grateful: Making a Daily Choice to Give Thanks
- 5 Ways that Daily Quiet Time with God Changes Me
- Are You Communing or Consuming?
Daily. Ugh! Why can’t it be once and done? 🙂 Of course, God knows that we need the daily reminders, so He built them into our lives. And so I thank you for your reminders, too!
Ha, ha – one and done would be nice wouldn’t it?! 😉
Yes, I need these DAILY. The dailys are feeling pretty rough this weekend. (JB didn’t get the job he was so sure about Thurs, and with the long holiday weekend, it’s an extra day Mon with no progress on the job front. I know that I know that I know God has His best set up for us…but my human impatience doesn’t compute this truth very well. My mom’s also here visiting, which is stressful to entertain when I want to wallow.)
So sorry about the not-so-great news on the job front.
I’ve found that knowing what is true in your head and actually feeling it can be two totally different things! Trusting God when we don’t see the answer (which is what makes it trust 😉 is, I think, one of the hardest ways He grows us. As I’ve said before, your faith inspires me, and my prayers continue!!
These suggestions are what make us stand out as christians, if we are steadfast in the practice. The daily practice can be a challenge for most busy christian women, including myself. It would help if we build these habits in little pockets or margins, so that we don’t get overwhelmed. Another way to do this is to create what is called habit stacking. This will help busy christian women a great deal.
Have been following your teachings and they are sound and inspiring.
Bishop Stephen kioko
Thank you for your kind words.