Work, family and entertainment are the three things taking up the most time in the lives of men today. There is nothing wrong with these three things; in fact, they all have their place of necessity in a man’s life.
What I continue to work on though are the ways to keep a man’s faith strong while still having to engage in these things and the activities that surround them.
For me, and some of my good friends, it isn’t always easy to keep our faith strong on a daily basis. The three areas mentioned above all demand our time, some more than others, and we have to figure out ways to make them all satisfied. Again, not always easy.
So I want you to consider five daily tasks to help you mature in your faith.
When I considered these, I decided that they had to be in short time periods. Meaning whatever you choose to do daily needs to only take a few minutes of your time. It will make it easier to do and easier to remember. This isn’t to say that the activity of choice is not important, but that it needs to be short and effective. It also doesn’t mean that the time couldn’t go longer then a few minutes once you engage in it. Remember these are for DAILY tasks.
Here are the five tasks and some ideas on how to accomplish each one. Add what you do daily and how you accomplish it in the comments at the end.
1. Short prayer. Prayer is powerful, men, and we all need to do more of it! I have put this option at the top of the list, because I believe it is the best option to choose. As a daily way to mature in your faith, choose to say a short prayer each day. There is no time limit to your prayer, but just keep it short and to the point. Just like any good relationship, you need to keep great communication with Jesus.
HOW: If you have a smartphone, go to your calendar. Open a new event and made the headline “Short Prayer Today.” Pick a time that you know will offer you a few minutes of freedom. Set the reminder option to go off “everyday.”
2. Scripture reading. Scripture is powerful, men, and we all need to read more of it! I could start out every option with that headline, but I won’t hit you with it every time. Digging into God’s Word is essential to knowing Him and keeping a great relationship with Him. For this to work daily, try to set it up by only reading a couple verses a day. Again, if you keep it short, you’ll be more likely to do it and keep doing it.
HOW: Keep it simple and just open your Bible before you leave for work each morning. Or, again with technology, download the free Bible App, sign up for a reading plan and get a notification sent to your phone everyday.
3. Devotional. I recently went to Amazon and found solid men’s devotional options. Devotionals are great because they not only supply you with a verse to read, but they also offer great lessons learned and life experiences. You never know, the answers you seek in your current issue or struggle could be in a devotional. Devotionals are especially helpful if you have a hard time talking to other people about your faith because of the life experiences shared.
HOW: Head to Amazon or to your local Christian bookstore and pick out a devotional that works for you. Keep it beside your bed or in the center console of your car. Read it before you go to bed or as soon as you get out of work.
4. Journal. Keeping a journal is a great way to share what’s on your mind and reflect on those thoughts in the future. I currently don’t keep a daily journal, but I do keep a journal specifically for church and church-related events (Men’s Group). A journal can help you resolve your thoughts in a safe and productive way.
HOW: Head to your local bookstore and pick out a nice one. Get a small one so that you can take it more places and keep it more accessible. Or, download a journal App on your smartphone and get a notification each day to write! Click here to see some cool options.
5. Ask Jesus. If none of the other options interested you, I would suggest a simple yet very effective option; ask Jesus.
HOW: Well, it’s simple. Each and everyday you ask Jesus how you can better serve Him, love Him, worship Him and so on. You don’t need any special tools to do this one, you just need to be aware and ask. Try it!
Now that you know these five tasks, my challenge and encouragement to you is to try at least one of these every day for an entire month. If you think a month sounds hard, please know that I initially wanted to write “year.”
“Real relationship with Jesus requires real persistence.”
Which one will you choose for an entire month? If you’re already experiencing a great relationship with Jesus, share some of your daily ways with the Manturity Community.
Manturity is a blog built on establishing spiritual maturity in today’s man. The goal is to assist men in building better marriages and help them grow in maturity and explore different aspects of manhood. Manturity.com features new weekly blog posts, daily social-media updates and a powerful resources page. Stay up to date with the Manturity blog communities on Facebook and Twitter.
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Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen