[Reading Time: c5 mins]

15 Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. 16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. 17 But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.
1 Samuel 7:15-17

Routine can become tedious, but it can also become powerful. The right routine is a crucial ingredient of a powerful and purposeful life. On reflection, some of my most significant breakthroughs have come from developing or changing my routine. I have discovered the most effective way to reach any goal is to create a habit around it. 

This first dawned on me while writing my 90-day devotion Fit For Purpose. The project felt so big and overwhelming that I wasn't sure where to start or how best to do it. At first, my approach was quite haphazard. I would write when I had a spare moment, or I would try to set aside a whole day to write. 

This approach was unsuccessful. It wasn't until I decided to make adjustments that I started to experience momentum. I focused on developing the habit of writing; I wrote every day first thing in the morning for a set amount of time. I kept showing up every day for over a year until the devotion was finished. Did I have days off? Yes. Did my routine get interrupted? Yes! But when that happened, I picked back up where I left off. 

This experience taught me that sometimes faithfulness looks like showing up every day consistently to work towards a particular dream, project or idea God has placed on your heart. Big dreams can feel like a towering mountain looming over you until you break them down into manageable chunks that can be tackled one day at a time. Taking things one day at a time is a great way to avoid yielding to the feeling of being swamped by the aspirations that once excited and inspired us.

1 Samuel 7:15-17  is a summary of Samuel's ministry, and faithfulness is one of the notable hallmarks. Faithfulness to the call of God on his life and a disciplined commitment and regular routine to support it. It fascinates me that Samuel had a routine that he stuck to year in and year out. Samuel, the last judge and one of the great prophets of the old testament, served Israel most of his life and led the nation in a transitional period. He developed the yearly habit of travelling from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah and back to his home in Ramah. In a time of change, he maintained a faithful rhythm of work and a steady influence in the nation. Through his faithful habits, he could oversee the nation's spiritual health and hold back the tide of spiritual decline. 

Although Samuel was faithful in completing his yearly circuit, he was also faithful in returning home, serving locally and worshipping God. Verse 17 says that Samuel built an altar to God at Ramah, his home town. Altars are a place of worship, sacrifice and consecration. Before he was born, Samuel's mother dedicated his life to God. Still, when he was of age, Samuel chose to remain set apart (consecrated) for God's service. His life was a living sacrifice to God. His life was orientated toward God and His plans and purposes for Samuel's life. The orientation of Samuel's life dictated the ordering of Samuel's life. The habits he developed were in service to the calling of God on his life to be a national leader. 

Like Samuel, great leaders are faithful; they develop habits that serve God's purposes and help them serve those God entrusted to them. We too, are called to structure our lives around serving God's purposes. Our work is part of our worship and what it means for us to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). This commitment isn't about a mundane routine but an exciting adventure of living out our life's work and submitting to our inward and outward transformation. Our habits serve us as we serve God. 

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