The Cambridge Dictionary says “daily” means “happening on or related to every day.” Of course, you already knew that! And I am sure that you can think of more than a few things that you do daily. For me, what comes to mind immediately is brushing my teeth, taking my meds and checking my blood pressure. But did you know that the Bible talks about doing things “daily” also?

One of the first scriptures I learned about and took to heart was the one in Matthew where Jesus says to give Him your burdens because what He gives in return is easier to bear. In the Old Testament, Psalm 68 encourages us to praise God for daily bearing our burdens. Well, guess what? The Lord cannot bear for us what we are holding onto and refuse to let go of. So, we have to daily lay down our burdens, whatever is worrying us, and trust that God is taking care of it. It’s a habit that I plan to work on because I am not there yet.

I am almost certain that this scripture verse is familiar to all of the Christians here in the blogosphere. Deny, take up your cross and follow…did you see that very important word daily? This is not a once-and-done action. Daily, we deny ourselves. Daily we take up our cross, the life that God has gifted us with along with the purpose that we are fulfilling in Him. And we follow Jesus, daily. We cannot say that, “Well, back in 1973, I became a Christian, so that is all done and I’m on the right road to heaven.” Again, this is a daily commitment to the Lord, not a “I did it, I got the tee shirt and now I am securely on my way to heaven.” Maybe. The assurance comes because we daily re-commit our lives, our everything, to Him. Sometimes, it’s easy to walk backwards and get tangled up in the world’s standards and attractions. That’s why it’s important to daily commit ourselves to our life with God, in God and through God. He is the one who sustains our lives, in every way, including physically, emotionally and most importantly, spiritually. We cannot stay alive spiritually without daily spiritual food. I didn’t eat a meal back in 1973 and tell myself that was all the food I needed for the rest of my life. I need to daily soak in His truth from His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to nourish my soul so that bearing my cross is not a burden but an honor because I am carrying out God’s plan for my life, daily.

We walk by the Spirit daily, with God’s Word hidden in our hearts and with a day that starts right with time with Him. I would no more think of running out the door without brushing my nasty overnight teeth than I would go out without getting dressed first. We cannot even consider being ready to walk by the Spirit daily without preparing ourselves by immersing ourselves in His Word. You may have five minutes, ten minutes, an hour or more to spend in His Word. I don’t think God is as concerned about how much time you give Him as how much quality time you spend daily with Him, getting to know Him better through His Word and devoting time to talking to Him in prayer.

Apollos is named in the scriptures several times by Paul who knew him personally. This verse says he was a “learned man.” Some could say of me that I am “learned.” After all, I have a degree in Spanish and history and a graduate degree in educational administration. But what I consider when I desire to be “learned” is to be versed in the scriptures, in the things that really matter in life, This verse doesn’t leave us to guess what Apollos was learned in because it explains that he had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. That comes, I think, by daily spending time in His Word. In a world full of Katy Perrys and Taylor Swifts, I would rather be like Apollos. Thus, I need to give my time daily to what will benefit my most, to God’s Word, soaking it in and letting it bathe me in truth and light.

So, back to my first question? What do you do daily to spend time with your first priority, which should always be God? Think about it. Schedules may need to be adjusted and time managed differently in order to daily devote yourself to time with the Lord, but I consider it a habit well worth cultivating. Don’t you?