John 17 is a chapter I read often, and I always marvel at the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus prays that the Father would glorify him so that he in turn might glorify the Father. I need this constant reminder that true prayer is not about my wants and needs, but rather it is rooted in the glory of God. It’s never about me. It’s always about him. Prayer is the greatest privilege given to those who follow Christ. Yes, we are commanded to pray, but we are also invited into this glorious relationship to commune with God, to know him, to spend time in his presence.

I cannot separate prayer from reading Scripture. In my view, they are inseparable and two parts to the whole of communing with God. In his book Authentic Ministry, Michael Reeves writes, “We breathe in Scripture, and we breathe out prayer. Breathe in, breathe out: that’s the Christian life.” Let us build God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated lives through the breathing in of Scripture and the breathing out of prayer.

Every person who is saved by their faith in Jesus Christ is also filled with the Holy Spirit. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes a divine calling that gives purpose to our lives. That’s not to say people who aren’t believers don’t have a sense of purpose, but there is a unique calling to those who abide in Christ.

Most of us don’t immediately know what our purpose is when we are first saved. Part of the process of our continual sanctification is the discovery of our purpose through prayer.

As believers there are areas of purpose where God calls all of us. We are called to be faithful, holy, kind, just and so on. Then there are aspects of our calling that are specific to each person. One person may be called to be a missionary in a third-world country. Another may be called to be a gospel witness in her job as an attorney.

The possibilities of how our purpose might be fulfilled is endless; but we have a unique calling to live God-honoring lives and make the name of Christ great in our world.

As prayer reveals our purpose to us, our purpose will help determine our priorities. Once we know what are called to accomplish, we can order our lives in a way that is both God-honoring and productive.

I don’t think any rational believer will disagree that our relationship with God is the overarching, all consuming point of our life. We were once slaves to sin and death, but because of the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we were bought with the price of his blood and are no longer our own (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

It is easy to claim our relationship with God is the most important area of our life, but far too often the cares of life push the spiritual disciplines of prayer and the reading of Scripture into the margins of our life. Doctor’s appointments, an oil change for the car, a kid’s ballgame, or even a church function can crowd out what really matters.

It has been my personal experience, as well as my observation of other believers, that few things are as important as prioritizing spiritual formation through private prayer and Bible reading.

Principles are timeless truths that serve as a guide to make wise decisions. I keep a library of principles that I reguarly review. These principles cover a variety of subjects, including family, relationships, business, leadership, preaching, and pastoral ministry. They serve as guideposts and guiderails in my decision making process.

Many years ago I read (I don’t remember who wrote it) that if you live your life by principles, 99% of your decisions are already made. I have found that when faced with hard choices, having a set up written principles is an invaluable resource.

The discipline of executing upon our purpose, priorities, and principles is invaluable and non-negotiable. Good intentions without good systems does not result in a life well-lived. My observation has been successful people aren’t ususally people with an extraordinary amount of talent, but rather people who establish healthy habits and routines. We are called to be faithful stewards of our resources, and this faithfulness is made possible by building structure and discipline into our lives.

Calendars, project plans, weekly reviews, and routines may seem mundane, but they are the building blocks of a life lived with purpose.

I have spent years honing systems and processes that allow me to give quality time to my personal devotion, family time, health, ministry, secular vocation, and hobbies. This is a subject I am passionable about, and want to help others implement into their lives.

Every day is an opportunity plant a seed that will bring forth a harvest in the future. This truth is demonstrated by our ability to invest money into a fund and receive a healthy return many years later.

This truth doesn’t just apply to finance. Every day is a fresh opportunity to invest our time, talent, energy, love, and passion into other people, with a return that will only be fully known in the age to come. Every kind word, every prayer, every gospel witness, every loving act, is a seed that can take root and create new life in the days and years ahead.

A question I often ask myself is, “What can I plant today that will bring a harvest in the future?”

Most of live our lives in a frantic pace, hurrying to get a variety of tasks accomplished every day. Thoreau famously wrote, “Simplify, simplify, simplify!” It is to this end that a regular pruning, cleansing, and simplifying of our lives is required if we are to flourish as God intended.

What does this practically look like? I find my spiritual disciplines can become overly complicated, with an overabunance of books and devotionals that I try to read daily. I find peace in simplifying things and focusing on quality over quantity.

It could be as practical as cleaning out a closet, or reducing the number of credit cards in your wallet. Organizing your garage or your book shelf. I find when things are in order, I am their master. When chaos enters the picture, I’m not sure who is in charge. The law of entropy states that without intentional energy put into a system, that system will naturally evolve from order to chaos. Part of our calling as stewards of God’s resources is a responsibility to daily maintain and restore order in every sphere of life.