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Only recently (at 45!) did I really begin to understand the value of habits. By experience I learned that; sport + an aging body = physical pain. That forced me to think about how to strengthen my body for the sports I still wanted to do. What I came to understand is that the benefits of habits are built up over time. In other words, daily habits prepare and protect us for future struggles. This is true in relationships as well. When our family was young, we used to go on lots of walks. Naomi and I still walk, no matter the weather or time of night. That habit of walking became a space for us to talk and have important conversations when we needed them.

We will certainly face struggles and trials of various kinds in the future. These trials may even be very simple changes we face like winter, when the mornings and nights are darker and colder. Even busy seasons of work or some stages of family life. That’s why we need the right habits—daily  practices  that  keep  us  steady  when life gets harder. So, with the pressures your faith is bound to face, what habits are you building now to protect and strengthen it later?

The word ‘habit’ only appears once in the New Testament, Hebrews 10:24-25. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The habit here is put negatively warning us ‘not’ to develop a habit of neglecting to meet with fellow Christians. The positive is obvious, we should cultivate the habit of Christian fellowship. Hebrews arrives at this point after pressing the undisputed promise that through Christ Jesus he has forgiven us of all sin before God (10:1-18). So with confidence in Christ, draw near to God until the day that Christ arrives (10:25). Can you see how Hebrews frames this? We need the daily input of Christ’s word and work to keep us until the day of Christ.

Here’s the point about Christian habits. We need Christ’s word and work as the grace which saves us. Hebrews 1:1-4 points out that God has spoken his last and final word of salvation through Jesus. We read the Bible because it’s the way God reveals himself, his plan and promises in Christ, and impresses it on our heart by his Spirit. Christian habits then are to strengthen our grasp of what Christ has done, so that when future troubles come our faith is ready. Just as my body needs daily water, oxygen and food to thrive, my soul needs God’s word to thrive with the same kind of regularity.

Now, just as we have Christ’s word and work in God’s word, next Hebrews shows us how we need to receive that word, in order to be ready for the coming day of Christ. Read Hebrews 10:24-25 again. We best receive the word and work of Christ in Christian fellowship. There’s a double application of this.

First, God gave us Christian fellowship to help us hear and understand Christ’s word and work. To put it bluntly: God has given you a gym to train in, it’s called church fellowship and with the word of God we are to spur each other on. This means you need others to speak the word of Christ to you, to help you grasp it, apply it and pray with you about it, whether that be in a sermon or Connect Group, or even over coffee. It also means others need you to do this with them. So in a very real sense, when you are not in fellowship with church, the church misses out on you!

Second, in fellowship, you see that word and work of Christ lived out in real time. You get the opportunity to share the grace you have received from Christ. Others get the opportunities to share the grace they have received in Christ with you. In fellowship, joy is multiplied and burdens are shared. It’s where you find people who will support and encourage you to keep going in faithfulness to love and good deeds. And they find you, who can show this encouragement to them.

Going back to Hebrews 10:24–25, we can’t miss the warning: it’s easy to fall into bad habits. We often choose the path of least  resistance and neglect what we need most. In his book The Manual (a book all men should consider reading), Al Stewart includes a chapter on “looking after you.”  He encourages us to see our daily choices through the lens of their long-term impact. That’s exactly what Hebrews 10 is teaching. Christian, look after future you. Consider the moment when the day of Christ arrives – who will you be that day?

Daily, you need the word teaching and encouraging you about the work of Christ, to ensure you will make it through that day in faithfulness. You need genuine church fellowship, to hear that word and see the wonderful benefit it is to strengthen your faith. The most important day to start a new habit or restart an old one is today, not tomorrow. I hope you can see how coming to church, pursuing intentional Christian fellowship with others, playing your part in a Connect Group, is a present day habit future you need.

Rev Graham Schultz

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12: 1-2

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