Katherine J. Butler - Habits of the Heart: 365 Daily Exercises for Living like Jesus

If you want to change your life, you have to do something different. Lasting change comes only from developing new habits. A habit is a routine of behavior that a person repeats regularly and usually unconsciously.

Many of us try to make physical exercise a daily habit. Or perhaps we want to become good at playing a musical instrument, so we get into the habit of practicing every day. If we want to graduate from college, we need the habit of regular study. Developing a habit is really a way of training our bodies or minds to behave differently so often that it becomes routine.

Many of us dont think about training our hearts, but the truth is, we train them every day. When we watch a TV show, we are training our hearts. When we focus on lies instead of truth, we are training our hearts. When we choose to pray instead of worry, we are training our hearts. The apostle Paul tells us that our whole lives are a training of some sort, whether we realize it or not: Everything we do is training our hearts either toward God or away from him. When our hearts are conditioned to discern the Spirit of God and act upon what he wants, then we experience the greatest possible joy, peace, and satisfaction. It is essential that we develop the habit of exercising our hearts in the practice of godliness.

What shape is your heart in? Consider this book a training program to develop habits of the heart that will draw you into a deep and lasting relationship with God. This simple guide focuses on one essential aspect each week and provides daily exercises to make it become a habit. Each day begins with Scripture, followed by a question to prayerfully consider with the Lord or a spiritual exercise that calls you to put Gods Word into action. The exercises are based entirely on Scripture and Jesus life and teachings. Over the next year, you will be introduced to fifty-two spiritual disciplines that will connect you with God in new ways. The goal is to recognize the places where you currently live apart from God so that you can prayerfully invite him into all your daily moments. That is the beginning of real transformation.

Be open. What does it mean to be open to God? It means having a posture that is ready to receive. For example, if someone throws you a baseball, you need a posture to catch it. This requires not only having your hands out and open to receive the ball but also paying attention to the one who throws it. To keep yourself open to God, as you work through each devotion, ask him, What do you want to teach me from this? Some exercises may seem pointless and silly. Can listening to music, enjoying flavorful foods, driving in the slow lane, or using your imagination really be part of your spiritual transformation? Yes, they can! Anything that draws you toward God can be devotional. Be open to the variety of ways God may teach you, trusting the Holy Spirit is in control.

Be patient. Spiritual exercises are not quick fixes to make you a good Christian. They are meant to slowly open and shape your heart to become more like Jesus. There is no right way to do these exercises. If, in a particular week, you feel youve failed to grow, that area may be one where growth is occurring more subtly. Just as your body is made up of many muscles, so it is with the soul. Feeling resistance is a sign a spiritual muscle needs to be strengthened. God may also use an exercise to show you something about yourself that you find difficult to accept. Remember, the only way he can transform your heart to be more like his is to first show you the places where you arent like him. Learn to see this as a gift because God is showing you something that is keeping you from fully trusting and loving him.

Be expectant. God is active in the world and present in your everyday life. You have the very power of God inside you! As you go through this devotional, wake up each morning anticipating that the Holy Spirit is doing great work within your heart. The fact that you have picked up this book is evidence that God is already at work. Keep a journal to record your thoughts and prayers, frequently looking back and reflecting on your journey. May God bless you as he uses his Word to challenge and change you to be more like Jesus.