“We become what we repeatedly do”–Sean Covey.
Every year as the calendar flips, many of us get caught up in the dream of change, and in so many ways this is a beautiful thing. Justin Earley writes, “There is common grace in a calendar that regularly presents us with opportunities to reconsider how we live. The flurry of resolutions made this time of year reminds us that we really do long to be made new.”
But true renewal is only in Christ, of course. As Christians, we should be more introspective than most, and we recognize the myriad ways that our hearts need to be reshaped. In the sermon Sunday I hope to challenge our congregation to consider focusing on habits this year. Resolutions are often vague and sweeping, and usually, collective amnesia sets in before winter ends. Habits, though, are different. We make daily choices that determine the kind of people we are, and I plan to encourage all of us to be intentional in developing daily habits that equip us to continue the emphases that we stressed last year: Love God and Neighbor. And good daily habits will also help us benefit from our commitment to delight in Scripture over the next twelve months.
In the text above Paul writes that his goal is to “gain Christ and be found in him” . . . to “know him and the power of his resurrection.” This year will pass, and it’ll probably pass a little more quickly than last year. But we have the unbelievable opportunity to partner with God as he reshapes us in his image.
He does this bit by bit, day by day, though, and a simple yet powerful way we work with him is through intentionally developing heart-shaping daily habits–what one writer calls “liturgies of worship.”
0 Comments