We are all creatures of habit, some more than others. We have our favorite times to read or view the news, and more importantly, our favorite times to eat. Serious joggers are very regimented as to when they run. If they miss the appointed time they feel like something has gone wrong that day. Their running patterns have become habits.

Should Christians allocate a specific time each day to pray and read the Bible? Should they be consistent so that it gets to be a habit, so that if they miss a day, they feel like the day is not complete.

Allocating a specific time each day to spend with God has become a habit for me. Granted, as a retiree, I have great flexibility in how I use my time. I remember the days when I was working full time, going to school at night, raising a family and working in the church. It was a struggle to allocate some quality quiet time to be with my Lord. I’m sure that joggers, if they are busy people, struggle with finding the time to run. But if they are serious about it, they will somehow work it into their schedules. Quite often you will find them out on the road early in the morning.

When I was starting to develop the habit of having devotions, some legalism crept into my thinking – “Oh no, now I have to fit my devotions in today.” But the more I practiced it, the more meaningful it became to me, which in turn made it more important for me to find the time. Now it’s not a matter of “I have to do it.” It’s a matter of “I want to do it.” It makes my day. If I miss it, which happens, it’s like I missed breakfast.

I cherish my one-on-one time with my Savior. It affords me the opportunity to tell Jesus how things are going. I thank him for his blessings and attempt to surrender my burdens to him (1 Peter 5:7). I then have the precious opportunity to intercede with him for my family and friends. I also read his Word and see what he wants to talk to me about that day. I can feel his clear presence in these sessions as we have a two-way conversation. It is by far the most important part of my day.

John Heie was Director of Business Operations at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is now consulting in the area of strategic planning. He has written a book about leadership titled, Leading from the Heart: What Workers Say about Good Leaders  (www.johnheie.com). John grew up in 59th Street Lutheran Brethren Church, Brooklyn, NY.