Spiritual Habits

Just looking to pass along some notes from the series I started with a class on Sunday.  Hopefully you'll find these interesting.  

Rick Warren describes in his study Transformed, the seven habits  that are needed to have a positive spiritual health:

1.  I must love Jesus supremely.  (Luke 14:26).  Spiritual health is measure by Love.  Mark 12:29-30 says, “Listen, Israel!  The Lord our God, the Lord is One.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

2.  I must meet with Jesus daily.  (Proverbs 8:34) “Anyone who listens to me is happy, watching at my doors every day, waiting by the posts of my doorway."  

3.  I must Study and Do his Word.  (Psalm 1:1-3)  "How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers!   Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.  He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers."

4.  I must tithe my income.  (Malachi 3:10)  "Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house.  Test Me in this way," says the LORD of Hosts.  "See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure."   

5.  I must learn to love other believers! (John 13:35)  “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, 'I love God', yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen."

6.  I must serve others unselfishly. (Mark 10:45) “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life–a ransom for many.”

7.  I must pass on the Good News!  (2 Timothy 2:2)  "And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." and "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:19-20

A few comments: One, there are a lot of 'I's in those habits.  Sure, I need to look within myself to change where I want to be spiritually IF I want to grow.  Developing new habits is the way to change our routine, which will change who we are and who we become.  But I can't do even the first one of these without faith.  All roads lead to faith.  I can't love Jesus supremely if I haven't found a way to depend upon Him everyday for everything.  You just can't get there.  And all the rest follow the first habit.  I was very excited to see Rick offer a call to salvation at the conclusion of the video clearly indicating a relation with Christ is required to grow.

I think if I were praying for these habits in my own life, I would have to put them all into God's hands.  Such as, "Lord, help my faith so I can love you supremely.  Give me a desire for Your Word so that I am never satisfied.  Destroy my thoughts that want to do anything other than what Your Word and Your direction indicates for me.  Fill my heart so I will love those whom You died for.  Overcome my thoughts of owning anything so I will give to whomever asks in as much as I am able.  Deliver in me the ability to always have You on my thoughts so telling others about Your blessing to me and about Your love is always in my conversation."  May we put ourselves in God's hands so He can change our heart and that will change our habits.