Question 1

What should always be a part of my routine?

Accepted Answer

Hebrews 4:14So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.Trusting God to help and guide us should be an integral part of our daily routines.1 Chronicles 16:23Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.Psalm 71:8That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.Psalm 96:2Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.Psalm 145:2I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever.Isaiah 38:20Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the Lord.Praising God daily for who he is and what he has done helps us to appreciate him and focuses our hope in him for tomorrow.James 3:13If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.Our lives should routinely display good deeds.Job 1:5When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.Psalm 5:3Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.Daniel 6:10When Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.Matthew 14:23After sending them home, he [Jesus] went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.Mark 1:35Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.Luke 5:16Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.Luke 6:12One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.Luke 9:18One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him.Luke 11:1Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”Romans 12:12Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.1 Thessalonians 5:17Never stop praying.Prayer should be a vital part of our daily routine.Deuteronomy 6:6-7“You must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”Psalm 119:34, 44, 56, 97Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. . . . I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever. . . . This is how I spend my life: obeying your commandments. . . . Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.Hebrews 5:14Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.We should routinely read, study, meditate on, and apply God’s Word.Deuteronomy 14:22“You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year.”Giving to God’s work should be a part of our routine. In fact, our offerings to God should come first from our paychecks, before we purchase anything else.Luke 4:16When he [Jesus] came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.Acts 2:46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.Acts 17:2As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people.Hebrews 10:25Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.We should routinely join with other believers to worship God.1 Chronicles 16:11Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.Psalm 105:4Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.We should regularly search for God and his strength, practicing his presence by looking for and sensing his presence in or lives.

Question 2

What should never be part of my routine?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 22:21“I warned you when you were prosperous, but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me.’ You have been that way since childhood—you simply will not obey me!”Micah 2:1What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.Ephesians 2:2You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.Ephesians 4:21–22Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.1 John 3:9Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children1 John 5:18We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.A routine of sinful living is not compatible with a godly lifestyle and is unacceptable to a holy God.

Question 3

When is routine good?

Accepted Answer

2 Chronicles 24:13The men in charge of the renovation worked hard and made steady progress. They restored the Temple of God according to its original design and strengthened it.1 Corinthians 15:58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.Routine is good when it accomplishes God’s work. Productivity is often the result of steady and conscientious work.Romans 5:4Endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.Routine is good when it builds godly character. Routine can help us learn perseverance and endurance, elements of strong character.Luke 11:28Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”2 Corinthians 1:24That does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.Philippians 4:9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.2 Thessalonians 3:4We are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.2 Timothy 1:13Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.Routine is good when we make a daily practice of following God’s Word.Acts 10:38“You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him.”Romans 12:13When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.The habit of identifying and meeting the needs of others is a good routine.

Question 4

What are some dangers that come with routine?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 13:23Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil.2 Peter 2:19They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.A huge danger of some routines is that bad habits and sinful lifestyle choices can become controlling and overwhelm the good things we are doing.Ezekiel 33:31“So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money.”Matthew 6:5-7“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.”Simply going through the motions of worshiping God is dangerous.

Question 5

What are God’s routines concerning his people?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 42:8Each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.God continually loves us.Numbers 14:18“‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’”Daniel 9:9“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.”1 John 1:9If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.God continually forgives us.Psalm 68:19Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.God continually cares for, supports, and sustains us.Lamentations 3:23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.God continually shows us mercy.Isaiah 33:2Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.God continually strengthens us.Isaiah 27:3“I, the Lord, will watch over it [my vineyard, Israel], watering it carefully. Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.”God continually protects us.2 Corinthians 4:16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.God continually renews our spirits.