Who do you want to become?
Do you have a goal for the kind of person you would like to be?
It is easy to have nice intentions, but intentions won’t cut it. You need to have a plan.
When I started off as a young believer, just 18 years old, I was a mess.
My thinking, my lifestyle, my habits were a disaster.
But then, over time, as I embraced several holy habits in my life I changed, and I became the man God called me to be. And yes, I am still growing!
It’s a never-ending journey of growth.
As believers in Jesus, our aim should be to become more like Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate example and goal for the godly man or woman.
The more we become like Him, the better positioned we are to fulfil God’s plans for our lives, and then His Kingdom will be released through us!
But how? How do we become more like Jesus?
You need to embrace holy habits.
There’s a number of these key holy habits that we need to embrace to become more like Christ.
I can look at your habits today, this week and this month, and I can tell you who you will be five years from now.
Our habits ultimately determine who we become. (See the book Atomic habits, by James clear for more on this.)
Bad or lazy habits will keep you stuck where you are or even reduce you over time, but the right habits, especially holy habits will empower you to be transformed into His image!
In this post, I want to highlight one cornerstone habit, or overarching habit that will help you move forward in life.
This is the truth upon which this habit is built, “Commit the first part of something to the Lord, and He will bless the rest.”
We see this theme all through Scripture, that if we would commit the first part of something unto the Lord, then He blesses the rest. Jesus also said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God…”
Seek “first”. In other words, give the first part of something to the Lord, and He will bless the rest.
What is the first day of the week? Monday, or Sunday?
The first day of the week is Sunday!
It is the day that Jesus was resurrected from the grave, and therefore the early church moved their Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. The early church made it their weekly habit to gather on Sundays to celebrate Christ’s resurrection and it is called the Lord’s day. (See Acts 20:7, Revelation 1:10.)
**Commit the first part of your week, and day, unto God and He will bless the rest. This is the overarching Holy Habit that will lead to transformation in your life.
Make it part of your lifestyle to join the rest of your spiritual family, your local church, to worship the king of glory on Sundays, and you set the stage for an overcoming week. You communicate honour to the Lord, by gathering on the Lord’s day, and you are saying, “God I dedicate unto you the first part of my week in honour of you my King.”
Then the Lord will bless the rest of the week and you are empowered by the worship and the word to follow the Lord over the coming days.
Dedicate the first part of the day unto the Lord
Then add to dedicating the first part of the week, by also committing the first part of every day to the Lord. Make it your holy habit. This is the power of a habit, that you do it automatically. You don’t even think about it, you just do it, because it is your holy habit.
When you get up on a Sunday morning, and the waves look good, or the beach seems enticing, you’re not conflicted on the inside, “should I or should I not go to church?!” No, you have embraced the holy habit of honouring the Lord and committing the first part of the week unto Him. And so, you join your spiritual family to worship the Lord!
And, when you get up in the morning during the week you’re not thinking, what should I do now?
It’s simple, you do what you always do, you open the word of God and spend quality time with the lover of your soul!
As you commit the first part of your day to the Lord, you will experience His peace, His strength and His blessing over the rest of the day.
Like any new habit, it will take time to get into it. Simply start, and start small. Don’t try to do too much in those daily devotions, but even if you start with only ten minutes a day, over time you build momentum for bigger habits, and ultimately you will be transformed into the image of Christ.
Your habits over time determine who you become.
“Holy people do consistently what others do occasionally.” (Adapted from a Craig Groeschel quote)
We can see the difference in people’s lives. Those who consistently attend church on Sundays and consistently start their day studying the Word of God, stand apart from the rest of the crowd who only do it occasionally.
Some remain stuck, unable to change, until they adopt these holy habits.
I believe that you are able, by God’s grace, to make this significant change today!
Who are you going to be?
Adopt these holy habits of dedicating the first part of your week and day unto the Lord and become more like Christ.
May you have a truly prosperous year!
André
PS: For more on Holy Habits, watch these two messages I shared on Holy Habits for a Prosperous Year. Click here and here.
PPS: Have you experienced the blessing in your life of committing the first part of your week and day unto the Lord? Comment below!
