Break the Routine

Routine routine routine
Good for brushing teeth in the morning
Bad for the Spiritual life
Well - we need routine for daily Bible reading
We need routine for praying again, daily
We need routine for going to church, checking in with friends
Routine is not all bad
Is it?
Here is the definition -
* : a regular way of doing things in a particular order


* : a boring state or situation in which things are always done the same way


* : a series of things that are repeated as part of a performance

Most of us agree regular, boring and "repetition" are not generally good things.
We want fresh, new, different and excitement in our lives--- especially in our walks with the Lord

tradition can be defined as
: a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures.

Ah! That's the key- NOT IN THE SCRIPTURES
This is where my heart is- don't let your faith die.
Tradition is like eeyore- another day, another sermon.....boorrrring.

Friends- I do not feel like this about Jesus.
He makes me giddy -- I see His name, I read the Word, I pray, I talk with friends about Him and I'm thrilled

Why?

The Spirit keeps it FRESH

We need the Holy Spirit! (John 14:26)
Religion is dead (Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. Matt 23:27)
Tradition is dead
Routine is dead
I mean who really "likes" brushing her teeth?
It's just a have to...
But with God- we GET to worship Him
We GET to feast in His Word
We GET to pray
We GET to share the Gospel with strangers
We GET to bless someone with a meal, money, a cup of coffee or a smile or word of encouragement

Sometimes I fear, sometimes I cringe- we take Jesus for granted--- we're Spiritual spoiled brats
"I want this prayer answered and I want it now!" (cue the voice of Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka)
"I want this Bible study to lift me up out of my slump... Ugh... It's just another regular routine study...I'm going to mentally check out"
This type of thinking breaks my heart.
Like Johnnie Moore said on Jan 24, 2016
"What would happen if we just cared?"
"Why aren't we willing to live for- what they are willing to die for?"
Oh Jesus help!
Wake us up to the dying world around us.
Show us the time is short and we need a fresh refilling of the Holy Spirit.
Feel lethargic?
Feel bored?
Uh-oh- you're stuck in a routine.
That's NOT what Jesus wants.
That's not abundant life.
I love when you look at Jesus in the scriptures--- notice how He changes things up.
Sometimes he goes to a house touches the little girl's hand and raises her to life (Mark 5:41) other times He just speaks a word and heals (Centurion's servant- Luke 7:1-10)
When he healed the woman with the issue of blood it was her expressing her faith pressing into the crowd and touching the hem of His garment. (Luke 8:43-48)
He raised Lazarus from the dead, but not John the Baptist- His cousin.

He does things out of routine .

Catch that-- out of routine.

God is beautiful and loves to express Himself in unique ways. The Christian life is exciting!

So why do we try to fit God into a comfortable routine?

God can speak to me through nature, God can speak to me through a song, of course through Scripture, through a friend, a Sunday morning message, through my children

I need to be aware of His presence and be actively listening
My husband and we're talking about this subject the other day...
What are ways we can break through our routines?
1- sit in a different spot in church and meet someone new
2- haven't seen someone in a while? Call them, message them, reach out
3- read something new Warren Wiersbe, Andrew Murray, Chuck Smith, CS Lewis, etc. read a real book, not a small devotional for 5 minutes- challenge yourself to dig deeper
4- daily every morning ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh
5- Read your Bible with fresh eyes- read a new version, use a new commentary, pray through the scriptures... This takes time, as you read, when something speaks to you, stop and pray, chew on it, write it down and ask God to help you understand what He's teaching you
6- when you go to a store or run an errand, pray first. Ask God to open the door and provide an opportunity to share your faith, put a Gospel of John in your pocket and be ready to share (and prayerful)

LORD HELP US BREAK OUT OF OUR ROUTINE