The Daily Measure: 3 Reasons Why Daily Time with God Transcends Weekly Rituals
Understanding the power of daily engagements with God
In our fast-paced and demanding world, finding time for meaningful connections with anyone can be challenging—especially someone we don’t immediately see in front of us, like God.
For many Christians (or those seeking a relationship with God) we may find ourselves caught up in the routine of weekly rituals like attending church services on Sundays and engaging in spiritual practices with others mid-week, only to realize that these aren’t enough!
Almost no one would measure a successful relationship by a few weekly interactions of an hour or two as the building blocks to deep intimacy and lifelong commitment to someone — so why should we think think that only weekly rituals would deepen our connection with God?
It’s worth noting: Weekly practices (or rituals) like attending a church service on the weekend have stayed down for the most part as recorded trends by Gallup have noted in the aftermath of the Pandemic (which was four years ago!). Interestingly, recent reports have shown an increase in certain weekly practices, such as giving, alongside a decrease in conflicts. People may be giving more, and fighting less, but they aren’t gathering together weekly like they did before.
This may beg the question: If most of us can’t commit to a weekly practice of investing in our relationship with God, how can we commit to a daily one?
The answer is: you can’t. They are inextricably linked.
You can’t be close to God and distant from the church.
And…
A private life devoted to God fuels a public life devoted to people.
We need both a communal life with weekly rituals where we worship together, serve together, and are discipled together; and we need personal daily time with God to worship and engage with Him. Doing even one of these should fuel the desire to do the other.
Daily, personal devotional time with God should make us want to worship with others who are Christlike; and likewise being with others who are Christlike should spur us on towards doing the challenging work of working on ourselves even as God has worked in us to be more like Christ.
The church’s Role: inspiration, connection and education
The church plays a crucial role in the spiritual journey of believers but not a comprehensive role in fostering a deeper understanding and love for Jesus. The church does this primarily in three ways: inspiration, connection, and education.
In terms of inspiration, the church provides an environment that stirs hearts towards Christ. Hopefully the sermons (we just call them messages) that are preached touch on life experiences and biblical principles, while encouraging individuals to aspire to a Christlike life. Worship songs likewise, are usually filled with uplifting music and heartfelt lyrics as they help believers to more readily open their hearts more fully to Jesus's teachings that will be talked about later in the gathering.
Connection is another key provision of the church. It serves as a gathering place where believers can form strong bonds with fellow Christians who share similar faith journeys. This communal aspect facilitates mutual support, encouragement, and accountability in walking the path towards knowing Jesus more intimately. Moreover, involvement in small groups help people connect and wrestle through their faith together; while ministry teams within the church foster interpersonal connections and give a way for people to exercise their spiritual gifts as they work towards unity found in the body of Christ.
As for education, churches provide systematic teaching about Jesus’s life, His teachings and His redemptive work through Bible studies, discipleship classes, training and Sunday messages. Most people are not experts in scriptural interpretation, exegesis, or how to correctly apply the scripture that they read, so by delving into scripture under guided instruction from pastors, volunteers and elders, believers gain a profound understanding of God’s Word.
However essential these may be, it's important to remember that attending church does not replace personal daily time spent with God.
Just as daily practices hold significance in connecting believers to one another in the body of Christ, individual routines like Bible study, meditative prayer or quiet reflection are vital too. The personal pursuit of communion with God outside of collective worship complements what one gains from the Church community; it deepens one's knowledge and love for Jesus while nurturing an intimate relationship with Him beyond specific days or places. In essence, both communal participation in Church activities and personal spiritual disciplines are integral elements contributing to a holistic growth in knowing and loving Jesus more deeply.
Practical Tips for Daily Spiritual Practices
If the word “ritual” seems far too religious and intense, it is in a sense. There are reasons people use religious words (even in a disparaging way) to denote discipline, rigidity or consistency. God is one of order, and more than a few times in scripture does He prescribe precise, intentional ways of worshipping Him that seem rigid, intense, or methodical. God has created “rituals” for people to symbolically and literally worship Him in a meaningful way.
Here are some practical tips to help you establish a meaningful daily ritual or practice:
Create Sacred Space: Designate a quiet and comfortable space where you can retreat and connect with God without distractions. This might be as simple as a specific room, chair, or place outdoors.
Set a Regular Time: Determine a specific time each day that works best for you, whether it's early morning, during a lunch break, or before bedtime. Setting aside a dedicated time for personal worship of God will integrate into your daily routine. Failing to do so will feel out of the ordinary.
Utilize Devotional Resources: This isn’t a time to be an expert, it’s a time to be faithful. Explore devotional books, apps, or online resources that provide guidance and inspiration for daily engagement.
Journaling: Reflect on your spiritual journey and insights gained from daily engagements. Journaling can deepen your connection with God and help you track your progress as you grow in your faith.
Three reasons why daily time with God matters
1. Beginning the day with God normalizes submitting our day to God.
Starting your day with a dedicated time of prayer, reflection, worship and seeking out His will is like setting the foundation for a house. It establishes a strong connection with God, reminding us that our lives are built on Him and His will. By intentionally beginning each day in surrender to God, we acknowledge His sovereignty over our future and His faithful provision throughout our past. Everything good is built upon Him.
It’s a way to calibrate ourselves for everything that might happen in the day called “today.” Begin by simply thanking God you woke up. He’s given you another day on this Earth to worship Him, enjoy all He has given you, and reflect His image to a distorted world. Recognize at the very first part of the day that every day He gives you is a gift to be used for Him and His glory.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.”
2. Daily time with God helps us focus on the biggest picture.
Momentary struggles, victories, or accomplishments are all part of the human journey. These fleeting instances may seem significant at the time, but they should never eclipse our enduring focus on the more substantial reward of a lifelong relationship with God. They are merely stepping stones, albeit wobbly and cracked ones at times, on our spiritual path that molds us into hopeful, faithful, seasoned versions of ourselves.
As citizens of Heaven, we must constantly remind ourselves that this world in its present state is temporary and our true home awaits us in eternity. This perspective helps to keep our hearts, minds, and eyes aligned with the ultimate prize - an everlasting communion with God. Therefore, every experience becomes an opportunity to deepen our faith and bring us closer to Him, rather than distracting us from our divine destination.
“ Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.”
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
3. Daily interactions with God provide opportunities to see if our faith is based on the teachings of Jesus.
Socrates is famously quoted as saying “The unexamined life is not worth living,” which is incredibly true. We could rephrase and say “An unexamined faith is not worth living from.” It is during our daily moments with God that we can examine our faith against the backdrop of Jesus’ teachings. Does our faith line up with what Jesus said? And if it doesn’t, do we have the courage to change what we believe and how we behave to match what Jesus taught?
There may be nothing so dangerous as a Christian behaving in response to a belief that isn’t based on the teachings of Jesus.
Everyone has faith, even atheists, but not everyone has examined their faith to see if what they believe comes from Jesus. We must take every thought, emotion, belief, action and anything else and hold it captive until the teachings of Jesus release it as true, good, and beautifully aligned with His teachings. If the teachings of Jesus are opposed to what we’re holding onto, we must never let it run rampant and take hold in our lives.
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. ”
Final thoughts
Daily engagement with God is not meant to replace weekly rituals but to transcend them. It is an invitation to deepen our relationship with Him, experience personal transformation, and nurture meaningful connections with others. As we commit to daily engagements, we open ourselves up to a richer, more vibrant faith journey.
Embrace the daily measure of your faith and witness the profound impact it can have on your life. Let us commit to daily engagements with God, seeking His guidance, and experiencing how He can transform us from the inside out. As we make time for Him every day, we will see our faith become more tangible, powerful, and life-changing.
So take a moment each day to connect with God through prayer, meditation, reading His Word, or simply being still in His presence. Allow Him to speak to you and guide you on your journey. And as we engage daily with God, let us also remember to share the love and grace of Jesus with those around us. Let us be living examples of the transformative power of a daily relationship with God.
If you're seeking further inspiration, I invite you to watch the latest message in our series "90 Days with Jesus" entitled “Jesus: The Carpenter’s Son” and to sign up for the Monday morning newsletter I send out called “Good Morning God.”
“More than a Carpenter”