Routines - Customs - Practices

Do you have a routine? What is your routine? Do you do the same things over and over the same way day after day?

We are creatures of habit. If you were to take next week and record your actions and movements I believe you would find a repetitious pattern.

We do many things out of habit. When you put on your pants, you most likely put in the same leg first each time. When I put mine on, my left leg goes in first. If I deliberately put my right leg in first if find myself off balance and it becomes an effort.

When you get out of bed in the morning, you probably get off on the same side each morning. If your bed is against the wall, you have no choice.

When you are ready to soap up your washcloth to wash your face, chances are your washcloth always goes in the same hand.

You will probably have many friends if you make it your routine or practice to do whatever they want you to do.

Other words for routine include custom and practice. Have you ever asked yourself is Jesus had any routines or customs? I thought about this and decided to try and show that Jesus did have routines and customs.

What kind of customs did Jesus have?

1. He made it a practice to love people.

2. His custom was to worship and teach in the temple.

3. Jesus made it a practice to forgive people.

4. His practice was to restore life to those who had lost it.

5. He made it a practice to feed the hungry.

6. He made it a practice to bless the children.

7. He had a routine of praying.

Let’s take a look at these practices or customs Jesus had.

1. He made it a practice to love people.

John recorded these words in his gospel: “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Jesus knew at this time that one of his disciples would betray him and the rest of them would leave him for a while. Although Jesus knew what the disciples would do, he continued to show forth his love for them.

After he had supper with his disciples, Scripture tells us he arose from the table, took the towel and water basin and washed the feet of his disciples. His love for them was so strong that he humbled himself and became a servant to them.

He wanted to show his disciples a servant attitude and he wanted them to do the same to other people. Doing this, they would become more like him and follow in his footsteps.

Are you and I able to humble ourselves to the low level of servant and follow Jesus? Could we take the towel and basin and wash the feet of each other? That is what Jesus did.

Jesus was also able to love his enemies. He had a multitude of enemies. Scripture tells us that “while he was still speaking, behold, a multitude…drew near to him… (Luke 22:47). This was the group who came to the Garden to arrest Jesus. In the commotion, one of Jesus’ disciples took his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.

Jesus did not hate or dislike these people. He did not resist the arrest, but instead, he touched the servant whose ear was severed and healed it and then went forth with those who came to arrest him. This was his way of showing forth his love to them.

He showed his great love for mankind when they nailed him to the Cross. He did not have to let this happen. He could have changed the course of history. He could have destroyed all those who were trying to destroy him.

Instead, his love for the Father was so great and his love for mankind was so strong that he chose the Cross so that mankind would have an opportunity to believe, to repent, to accept, and to spend eternity with him in the Father’s kingdom. The Father so loved the world that the Son was willing to give his life for the redemption and salvation of mankind.

People can know God’s love through each of us. Listen to this story from a missionary to China.

Story: “How They Knew God’s Love”

We tried to visit the lepers at least once a month, when they gathered out on the grass, and we went over what they had learned and sought to make clear the way of salvation by the use of Gospel posters.