Spiritual Habits Are Good, as Long as They Are More than Rituals

Don’t forget that the Pharisees had some good habits

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.” — John Maxwell

We all have habits, both good and bad. We wish we could stop the bad ones; however, we are thankful that the good ones have become routine. Breaking a bad habit and starting a new habit requires a dedication of the will.

It is beneficial to have some positive routines in our spiritual lives, but if those habits are not stirring our emotions and moving us closer toward God, they may be empty rituals.

The discipline of church attendance

I am grateful that I grew up in a godly home and attended a church grounded in God’s Word. We not only went to church each week, but we were the type of Christians that were there whenever the doors were opened. Never do I recall asking on a Sunday or a Wednesday if we were going to church today. It was a given.

Before you applaud my commitment, this wasn’t my choice. My siblings and I were following the dedication of our parents. Thankfully, we didn’t have a vote in the matter. Our parents knew we needed spiritual disciplines in our formative years that they hoped would one day become our own.

Church attendance is good if our purpose is to obey our Savior’s command, a desire to fellowship with others to worship God corporately, and listen to a message expounded from Scripture.

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)

If you are attending church merely to soothe your conscience and you neither get anything out of it nor give anything to it, you might have an empty ritual.

The discipline of personal devotions

As both a child and a teenager, it was impressed upon me at home, at church, in Youth Group, and Sunday School that I should “have my devotions” every day.

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. (Joshua 1:8, NLT)

Having my devotions is engrained into the fiber of my life. It became a pattern or a routine that has become automatic, like brushing my teeth. Again, no confetti is needed. Let me explain.

If I brush my teeth every day, that is always beneficial. It does me good to put toothpaste and toothbrush to my teeth and never does that habit go wasted.

However, just because the sound, daily, spiritual discipline of reading my Bible and praying has become as routine as brushing my teeth, it does not always mean that I have had a good time of fellowship with God.

Let me ask you an important question. Why do you have your devotions? Do you sincerely have a desire to hear God speak to you personally each day, and do you then have a desire to communicate with Him through prayer? Are you surrendered to His voice and committed to doing what He tells you through His Word?

Chances are there is not a Christian alive who can say that this happens every day. There are some days that it is merely a routine. We read a passage of Scripture, but our mind was on something else. We were not honestly seeking to hear God’s voice. However, we felt pretty good that we had our devotions.

Listen, God is not looking for us to have a robust and consistent routine. Instead, He wants to have fellowship with you. God knows your weaknesses, strengths, fears, and joy. He knows what is ahead of you for the day and how best to speak into your life.

God does not want you to have your devotions every day; He wants to have intimate fellowship with you every day.

Practical help

While I fail in this area more than I would like to admit, and I have been a pastor for over 30 years, some hacks have been a help to me.

Whether my Bible reading is long or short, I desire to reduce what God wants me to hear Him say to me down into one brief thought.

The second thing I do is write down a brief synopsis of what I read (just a couple of sentences) and write down what God is saying to me personally.

“The Bible was not given to us to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” — D.L. Moody

I then pray and communicate with God, asking Him to help me put into practice what I heard Him speak to me. Finally, I pray for my family, friends, and those in my church family, along with significant things going on in our country and worldwide.

These are just a few areas that have helped me connect with God. There is no one right way. Instead, it would be best to find ways that work for you.

We must all avoid the empty ritual of checking off a box that we read a portion of Scripture today that did nothing for us spiritually.

God hates ritual; He loves intimacy!

What ways help you as you prepare for worship each Sunday, and help you connect to God as you read Scripture?