Bits of His Habits In Me - Mr. Duke Jeyraraj

The Scriptures exhort us to imitate Jesus. There are five things Jesus did often. You’ve got it – they were his habits! If your question is, ‘What were they?’ Here is the answer:

1. The habit of spending time with His Father What was the first habit Jesus had? Ask Luke. He pens, ‘But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer’ (Lk.5:16). The crowds were constantly around Jesus. At night, when He wanted to take a rest, a Nicodemus would show up. Busy – he was. But he prayed. ‘Often!’ It was when ‘everyone was looking’ for him, He went to look at His Father’s face ‘very early in the morning when it was still dark!’ (Mk.1:34-35). Slot a time for supplication in your daily schedule. Fix up an out-of-the-way place where you can pray without being disturbed. Talk to God. You can talk about everything to Him at any time. After all Jesus likened God to a bosom buddy. We should never think twice about disturbing, even if it is the middle of the night – for that is what he taught about prayer! Don’t just mumble here and there prayers. Instead, become a ‘pray-er’ a person of prayer!

2. The habit of studying the Scriptures ‘He went to Nazareth where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read’ (Lk. 4:16). No thumb index those days, just thick scrolls. Jesus was handed the scroll of the book of Isaiah. He found the place where the prophet spoke about Him. How could he manage that? I’ll tell you. He had often read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Reading the prophets was His habit. He knew exactly what was where. Those days there were no chapter and verse divisions. Even then, Scripture study being his habit, Jesus had no problems in letting his hearers know where exactly a passage was. How do I know that? Hang on. Did not Jesus once remark ‘in the book of Moses in the account of the bush…’ (Mk.12:26)? Six times Jesus shot this question in the Gospel narratives. What question? ‘Haven’t you ever read…?’ (Mt.12:3,5; 19:4; 21:16; 21:42; 22:31). Jesus would never ask any one, ‘Haven’t you ever read…?’ if He himself had not read what He talked about. Why not imitate Jesus’ habit of Scripture-study, this year out. Buy yourself a Bible in a version you enjoy. Read four chapters during the weekdays and five during the weekends and guess what will appen? You would have read through the Bible in a year!

3. The habit of solidarity with his disciples Jesus had the habit of meeting up with his disciples – his close pals – in the Garden of Gethsemane (Jn.18:2). Judas knew this habit of Jesus. This was why He was able to race to the Garden of Gethsemane to give him the betrayal kiss. Jesus did not shy away from building friendship with stumbling, embarrassingly erratic human beings. In our Narrow-road walk we cannot afford to be aloof from other believers. We need friends. We need fellowship. Otherwise we will never make it to the finish. I needed buddies who pat me on the back when I am on song. I also needed gutsy buddies who could straighten me out when I go wrong. Read 1 Kings 22 to get a hang of the gripping way Micaiah confronted villainous Ahab. Chums who tell me what I should be hearing than what I want to hear. ‘As iron sharpens iron, one sharpens another, a friend sharpens a friend’ (Pr.27:17). Jesus and his band of friends had so much feasting and fun that the religious leaders complained (Lk.5:33). This was their protest: ‘John the Baptist’s disciples always fast and pray and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are yours always feasting?’ Jesus hung out with his pals and had lots of food and fun. That was his regular practice. Get together as groups. After the prayer and Bible study it is perhaps time for pranks that are funny and prawns that are yummy!

4. The habit of sharing the Good News ‘Then Jesus left Capernaum and went southward to the region of Judea and into the east of the Jordan River. As always there were the crowds and as usual He taught them.’(Mk.10:1). Jesus had yet another habit – the habit of teaching people around him, about the Father in Heaven and the Kingdom of God. When the religious heads of his times inched close to arrest him, He shot a stirring question which further revealed this daily habit of his: ‘Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching and you did not arrest me’ (Mt.26:55). Want to be a Jesus-copier. Then, tell someone about Jesus each and every day. Jesus spoke about his Father every passing day to the ones around him. You can too. Witnessing for Jesus should not be an, ‘once-in-a-while’ thing. It must become our habit.

5. The habit of sacrificial service The most repeated special title for Jesus is ‘the Lamb of God!’ At least 35 times in the NT Jesus is given that name – a name that beautifully fits a habitual sufferer! I wish I could make this look a lot nicer. But I can’t! If you and I want to imitate Jesus we must get ready to serve, sacrifice and suffer. Decide to serve sacrificially – at least one person – on a regular basis. It maybe your frail grandma whom nobody wants to take care of. It maybe a physically challenged person who is your neighbor. The challenge before us is this: Do you have the nerve to sacrificially serve, like Jesus did, taking all the suffering in your stride? He will help you do it. There were things that Jesus often and always did. You’ve got it – they were his habits. Let’s copy them in our lives bit by bit!