Habit of Faith

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14. “What is Learned in the Cradle is Carried to the Grave
(Habit of Faith)”
14. "세살 버릇 여든까지 간다.(신앙의 습관)"

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.-April 2001
-2001년 4월
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- One’s conduct(habit) controls his fate.
- 자신의 행동이(습관) 자신의 운명을 좌우한다.
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Luke 4:16
16. 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.
17. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it....
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There goes a Korean saying, “What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave.”
This saying contains the meaning that ‘the doings done since young last even until the death.’ We often call those continual doings ‘habit.’
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The Hebrew word ‘derek’ generlly means a ‘way.’
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However, the ‘derek’ is also used as the term referring to man’s way of doing or living, that is, ‘life’s pattern’ based on continual doings in symbolic meanings. Accordingly, the Bible in many places translates ‘derek’ into a ‘way of doing’ (Chronicles 6:23, Job 4:6, Psalms 37:14, Proverbs 13:6). As it were, the ways that a man has lived in is just the report on his ways or traces of doing.
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Proverbs 1:31 says ‘man will eat the fruit of his ways of doing.’ In other words, it means one’s life is decided by the traces of how he has lived. It means the ways of how he has lived, or the way of doing he has taken in his life judge what kind of person he was.
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The examples are the wicked(Proverbs 2:22), the ways of darkness(Proverbs 2:13), the way of wisdom(Proverbs 4:11), the way of life(Proverbs 6:23), her ways(Proverbs 7:25), the way of death(Proverbs 14:12), the way of righteousness(Proverbs 16:31), etc., which explain ‘derek’ in connection with man’s ways of doing.
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And this ‘derek’ is related to the habit that defines and forms one’s way of action. Jeremiah 22:21 wrote that Israelite people made it a habit not to obey the words of Yahweh from their youth. Here, the term of ‘Habit’ is a translation from ‘derek.’
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‘Habit’ refers to a fixed way of doing, namely an attitude of a man that is done continually.
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In other words, you might say that ‘habit bears behavior, and the behavior bears fate.’ Repeating some behavior, one finds it turning into a habit in spite of himself. The habit in turn decides one’s fate, as it were.
Look back on yourself.
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We can see this habit affecting a large part of our life. That’s why the Hebrew word ‘derek’ is interpreted into habit, way of doing, life’s path, life’s tendency.
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There is also a Hebrew word ‘mishpat’ carrying the meaning of habit.
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The word mishpat implies judgment, condemnation, right, etc.. 1 Samuel 2:13 translated ‘conduct of two wicked sons of the priest Eli’ into ‘habit’ when it mentioned their act. The reason why it translated that way is because ‘man’s habit meant the conduct based on man’s own decision and right.’
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Accordingly, ‘habit’ occasionally means one’s independent way of doing of his own responsibility. That is, habit is indeed the way of act done not by others, but by one’s own belief and independency.
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Here, what we must remember is that the ‘habit’ meant by ‘derek’ and ‘mishpat’ refers to a ‘continual and repeated way of doing’ conducted under man’s own will and dominance.
A person gets into forming one’s own future through their own acts.
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One of the most important for one’s fate forming is not only a human will for the future but also the repeated way of doing that supports the will.
On that occasion, we often use the words, ‘we work out our own destiny.’
Bear in mind that ‘one’s habit affects his destiny.’
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Today like in Luke 4:16, I am about to explain manner of doing(habit,model) Jesus would always do so that our habit of faith may be reviewed. I wish you will learn what habits Jesus did at ordinary times, which will be helpful to your time of resolution for the future.
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To look at some Jesus’ habits in Luke:
First, Jesus had the habit of certainly going to the temple on the Sabbath.
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Luke 4:16 says that Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. Here, the ‘custom’ means a fixed habit.
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Today around us, we see a few types that deny the reason for the church being and insist on the needlessness of church service. Among them, there are many persons who insist on church needlessness and church abolitionism. Of course, it is true that the churches today have considerable inconsistencies and problems, like they point out.
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However, like what they say, ‘If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t make anything,’ or ‘You can't succeed if you are afraid of failure,’ right? Hebrew 10:25 said, ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’
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No matter whether it be any times, it is not right to assert that churches are needless and abolish church service. Jesus watched the religious leaders in those times whose religious spirit were dead and whose religious form only was alive and rebuked by saying, ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees.’ In the meantime, Jesus himself didn’t forget to go to the synagogue and attend church service according to the custom whenever it was the Sabbath.
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There are also some other people who say, ‘It is better to read the Bible or watch Christian broadcasting programs at home rather than attend Sunday church service, because sermons might not be very good if you went to the church.’
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Yet, this is from ignorance of the real meaning of why they go to the church. Most important is the behavior itself in which I go before God and attend divine service in real life. Let us suppose a person who has his old mother. Is it right whatsoever if he gave up visiting his parent from the outset because he feels uninterested in visiting his parent and because he dislikes hearing his parent’s reproofs? Whether in trouble or pleasure, believers in Jesus should prove their obligation of God’s children by going to church and attend service for sure.
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Second, Jesus had the habit of always reading the Bible.
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Luke 4:16 is recorded, ‘...on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read....’ Jesus has grown in the habit of reading the Bible since young. The given text emphasizes how Jesus read the Bible in his ever-lasting habit.
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Also on trial by Satan, with what did Jesus overcome? He overcame with the words he had read at ordinary times(Luke 4:1~13). When Jesus the Son of God as well overcame with the words he had read at ordinary times, then how can the breakable mediocre mortals keep faith without reading the Bible? By making a habit of reading the Bible and being abundant in godly words, one should turn into a holy believer who wins by overcoming their troubles coming against themselves.
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Some believers say that the Bible is so dull that they don’t read. As in the saying ‘a good medicine tastes bitter,’ you should remember that a book doesn’t necessarily have to be interesting to be beneficial for your life.
In Psalms 1:2, ‘Blessed’ is ‘the man who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night.’ One who might have much difficulty in reading the Bible may as well try hard to live in the words from God by listening hard to even the Bible-recorded tape.
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‘The society that recognizes the Word of God’ - this is why the Bible Scriptures were written down and so many a prophet has fought in exchange for their own lives. From where one reads the Word of God, there grows the kingdom of God.
God was called especially ‘Immanuel,’ which means God is with us. Then how is God with us? God is with us with the Word of God. So many people wonder in pursuit of God. But remember that God is living in and working with this very Bible, namely the Word of God.
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Israeli people’s number 1 in their property list is said to be the Bible(Old Scriptures). Even when they had their land taken away by enemies and had to start their run-away, it is known that they ran away with at least their Bible for certain. Today’s scientists, entrepreneurs, artists and war heroes who boast their best all over the world have very much share of Jewish people. We should know that the very this is the result from their having served God and lived in the words of God after receiving it since early.
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What has brought this result is because Jews did their best in all their own areas by recognizing that the ever-living ever-working God is always beside them.
They virtually enlighten other countries’ people as well about what it means to ‘live(stand) in the presence of God.’
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Third, Jesus was in the habit of always praying such as praying alone and praying with his disciples.
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Luke 22:39 says ‘Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives....’ Out of habit of praying always at ordinary times, Jesus was in the habit of always praying by praying in the early morning and praying all through the night.
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If somebody asks what keeps a church, I’d answer that it is important both how much to give offering and how to devote oneself with the body.
But what is more important is to pray for the church one attends and for the minister. In return, the minister knows how precious his believers are and pray for them. The verse of Matthew 7:7 ‘Ask and it will be given to you...’ refers to how precious prayer is.
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That one should pray until it becomes a settled habit to pray at a certain regular times every day, -- until prayer settles naturally down within their own body -- this is what today’s text teaches us. At the point where one reaches their internalization level of regular praying, what they should think therewith is the ‘quality of prayer,’ that is, whether what he or she pray for is right to God’s ‘righteousness’ (Luke 12:22~32). If one is idle from the start in praying because he or she hates the prayer of ‘babbling or harping on the same string,’ then they might later be put on the brink of feeling awkward with a praying action itself. Various places in the Bible teach us the prayer manners of earnest praying in whole concentration as well as the right contents of God’s ‘righteousness.’
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If you keep repeating the act of prayer with earnest desire, the habit of praying is formed. The habit makes the practice of reaching up to godliness. If godliness is internalized into the body, personality is formed, until the life of prayer is formed. Such sequence is what we often can see happening. It is likened to the following situation where although it looks as if water flows at random if it is poured down on the ground at first, yet a groove is dug in and the ways for water running are made so that it becomes rill, and stream.
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It is that if good manners are repeated and become accustomed habits for oneself, he would take rightful actions by thitherto-steady-accumulated habits even if something unpredictable might occur. Equipping oneself with firm and whole-personal faith in repeating good manners, this is what attitude the believers on the earth should take.
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Now comes the conclusion.
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There is a western saying, ‘Rome is not built in a day.’
Our present day doesn’t end as today alone; it is one of numerous days. Today’s preciousness, today’s attentiveness and today’s thankfulness lead to tomorrow.
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Hebrew 11:1 said, ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’
Looking forward to the image that we hope for and aim at in the mind, let us pray with good habits. Faith is the confidence that today’s dream ‘returns as realization’ in the end tomorrow.
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In the life, habit is highly important.
In many cases, today’s habits change tomorrow’s life.
In good habits of faith, please become good believers!
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Everything is possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23)
믿는 자들에게는 능치 못할 일이 없느니라. (막 9:23)
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