Habits and the New Year

There are five indicators of spiritual growth in a person's life. 1.) Knowledge of God's word and how to use it  2.) Perspective the overall outlook of an individual  3.) Conviction and how committed we are to the principles of God  4.) Skills - how well we use what we have learned to conduct life and perpetuate God's Kingdom, and 5.) Character - how well founded we are within ourselves to reflect Christ. Once we can understand the what, why, when, and how of these five qualities, we take the next practical steps to starting and maintain habits that will lead to true spiritual maturity.

You cannot talk about character without talking about habits. Character is the way we act out of habit. For example, if we are honest only when we consciously choose to be honest, we cannot claim to have a character of integrity. Integrity means we are always honest, it is our habit - not something we have to think about.  This is only one example of the development of good habits we need to develop as we grow to maturity. Foundational habits however, must be learned first in order to grow. So, what are the core habits that will give birth to all the others?

Habits that influence our time, our money, and our relationships, must have one precedent - Mat 10:38  "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."  In all things, including our habits, Christ must have the preeminence. If Christ’s lordship is recognized over these three areas of life, then he will truly be in control. So, let's ask some questions here to see how we measure up:

• What are the three character traits that you think people would be most likely to use to describe you?
• If you did a quick assessment of your life, would you say that Christ has control in the areas of your time, money, and relationships?
• Out of the five things that we mentioned in the beginning of this article, which would you say you do not have, or are not as well portioned in your life as you would like them to be?

Your answers to these questions will you set up your list of things to improve in 2013. But don't stop with these. Improvement is an ever growing process and this is only one of many steps. But it is a start. 

Jim