April 26, 2004

[Rev. Doc]

Habits

Hebrews 10:25
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

There are good habits, and then there are bad habits. Why is it so difficult to nurture the good, yet so easy for the bad to take control of our lives? We all realize that we should read the Scriptures, set aside a time of prayer, be a consistent witness, attend worship together and yet we struggle to incorporate these areas in our life. All the while, gossip, foul language, gluttony (the list goes on and on) are so easily accepted, yet so hard to let go of. Yet, let go of them we must, and quickly.

An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree. The tutor said to his young companion, 'Pull up the first plant.' The boy did so eagerly, using only his fingers.
'Now pull up the second.' The youth obeyed but found the task more difficult.
'Do the same with the third,' he urged. The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it.
'Now,' said the instructor, 'try your hand with the fourth.' The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tall tree and couldn't even shake its leaves. 'This, my son, is just what happens with our bad habits. When they are young, we can remove them readily; but when they are old, it's hard to uproot them, though we pray and struggle ever so sincerely."

Prayer: Ask God to show you areas that have taken control of your life, areas that have mastered you instead of your mastering them. Ask for His help in developing good habits that bring glory to Him. And pray for those around you who struggle in these same areas that you do.

"Habits are first cobwebs, then cables." ~Spanish proverb

[Aka-chan]

Ooh. That's something I really have to work on. -_- Thanks for putting this up; illustrations like the story help not only to make the concept easier to understand, but also help to keep the lesson on my mind.

[Staci]

Ooh, thank you so very much for bringing this subject up, Rev. Doc! I know I'm horrid at not reading the Bible as often as I should. *meeps and looks sheepish*

It is very hard to change bad habits. I've been struggling with anger issues and it's taken me months to halfway overcome it. ~_~ As long as you put your faith in the Lord it'll all work out!

Great story and morals! I cannot wait to see more!

[Spiritsword]

As Rev. Doc pointed out, the analogy works with good habits too. If you nurture a good habit, like reading the Bible daily, it will take root as well and grow into a beautiful tree. At first, my daily reading of the Bible felt more like a routine, but now I look forward to it or enjoy it more often than not.

[Master Kenzo]

Short and sweet. I loved the illustration .