We can all identify with the moments when we come to the end of the routine of the day. After all our responsibilities are over, we are free to do something fun. A lot of people don't go to work because they want to work. At least they don't want to work doing the things they are currently doing. A lot of people are only working because they want the money. Over our lifetime, we have found things that we would really enjoy doing. Much of the time we discovered that no one wanted to pay us for what we liked doing; or, they didn't want to pay us enough for it. So, we went out and found work that paid enough. From that time on, we were only doing the routine of work so as to get the money. Day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, and year in and year out we went through the habit of going to work. We accepted our responsibility of making a living like the rest of the people in this world.

Where does God and the things of God fit into all of life's routines? Is He just adding one more routine to our list of habits that have to be fulfilled. Where we use to be able to come home from work and have fun, do we now have to brace ourselves for further requirements that have to be toughed out? We use to "get" to read the newspaper in the morning. Now we "have" to read our Bible. There are Christians who have developed such a "committed" attitude toward God and the things of God that even though they don't get much out of their religious routine, they would never feel like it was something they would quit. If we were to ask them, do you like reading the Bible in the morning, they would say "yes." But, if we asked them what they got out of it, they wouldn't know. Some of us have come out of a great service stating that the pastor's sermon was wonderful this morning. When someone asked what he preached on, we couldn't answer.

With God, habits have to be turned into love relationships. If they stay in our life as a habit, they will turn into religion rather than intimacy with God and His people. Ritual will not meet our needs and will not make God happy. Sanctification Spiritual Growth brings purpose into all our spiritual activities. We, as Christians, shouldn't do anything that doesn't serve a spiritual benefit. Sometimes Christians get to the place where they realize that these "godly" spiritual habits aren't doing them any good. They have been going to church for thirty years and are pretty much living and doing the same things they were doing thirty years ago. Is that what they intended? No! How did they end up like that? Routine.

• We what an organized life. God wants to develop an intimate relationship with us.
• We like to keep things simple. God wants us to move into new horizons.
• We like to feel safe. God wants to move us into the heat of the battle.
• We enjoy learning things. God wants us learning and doing things.
• We like being appreciated. God likes to change and correct our character.