Habits for Me or Habits for God? Same Habit, Different Direction

Two men walk into the same gym at 5:30 in the morning. Same weights, same sets, same sweat. One is building a body he can be proud of. The other is keeping a body that isn’t his own in shape for the work God has given him to do.

From the outside, you can’t tell them apart. From heaven, they’re doing two different things.

That’s the question underneath every habit we keep. Not what am I doing, but who is it for?

The difference is direction, not activity

There’s a whole industry built on self-improvement habits: eat better, exercise, read more nonfiction, manage your emotions, learn a skill. Most of that is good. Some of it is plain wisdom and good stewardship. I’m not against any of it.

But all of it, by itself, points back at me. My health. My competence. My peace of mind. My enjoyment. Even when it’s good, it’s self-referential. I’m the end goal.

The Greatest Commandment takes those exact same capacities and turns them around. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Mark adds “and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Your heart, soul, mind, and strength are the very things the habit books want you to optimize. Jesus says they were made to be aimed at God.

When they are, the habit becomes a way of knowing Him, enjoying Him, obeying Him, and worshiping Him. And it spills over into loving your neighbor, because Jesus wouldn’t let the first command stand alone (Matthew 22:39).

Here’s the surprising part: you usually still get built up. The man who trains his body for God’s purposes still gets stronger. The man who studies Scripture to know God still gets wiser. But that’s the byproduct, not the point. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Paul puts the whole thing in one sentence: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Eating and drinking. About as ordinary as habits get. Paul says even those have a direction.

So here’s the test I’ve started asking about my own habits: Does this mainly enlarge me, or does it enlarge my love for God and my dependence on Him?

Side by side

Below are paired examples for each part of the Greatest Commandment. The left column isn’t evil. Much of it is fine. The point is to see the difference in aim, so you can notice which way you’re facing.

Heart: your affections, desires, and will

For me	For God
Journaling my feelings mainly to process them and feel better	Journaling to God: praise, lament, confession, and bringing my desires in line with His
Playing upbeat music to boost my mood and energy	Singing to Him about who He is and what He has done
Setting goals for my own achievement and satisfaction	Surrendering my plans in prayer, seeking first His kingdom, and holding my goals loosely
A gratitude practice centered on my benefits and circumstances	Thanksgiving for who God is and what He’s done in Christ
Positive self-talk as my main source of emotional stability	Setting my affection on Christ as the deepest source of my worth, joy, and security

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Heart habits show you what you treasure. More in Love God With All Your Heart.

Soul: your inner life and whole self before God

For me	For God
Mindfulness or meditation mainly for stress relief and self-awareness	Meditating on Scripture and praying to rest in God’s presence
Self-care routines to recharge my energy and emotional reserves	Sabbath rest as an act of trust in God’s provision, not just personal recovery
Chasing experiences (travel, nature, beauty) for personal enrichment	Receiving creation as a pointer that leads me to worship the Creator
Building my identity and purpose through self-reflection	Resting my identity in my union with Christ, not my performance
Practices that help me “feel spiritual” or connected to something bigger	Honest dependence on the Spirit: prayer, repentance, and receiving grace when I’m weak

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). A sunrise can be an experience you collect or an invitation to worship. More in Love God With All Your SoulComing October 23.

Mind: your thinking and understanding

For me	For God
Reading nonfiction to sharpen skills, get ahead, or know more	Studying Scripture and theology to know God more accurately and love Him more truly
Learning for career, productivity, or curiosity as an end in itself	Letting truth renew my thinking and bring it into obedience to Christ
Consuming content that entertains or informs, with no filter	Weighing ideas, media, and arguments against Scripture and growing in discernment
Puzzles, strategy, and debates for stimulation or ego	Studying doctrine, apologetics, or the biblical languages to deepen worship and serve others with truth
Self-help reading that optimizes my life	Reading that confronts my idols, enlarges my view of God’s glory, and fuels obedience

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). And a warning for those of us who love to learn: “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). More in Love God With All Your MindComing October 30.

Strength: your body, energy, and actions

For me	For God
Diet and exercise mainly for health, looks, longevity, or energy for my plans	Caring for my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, so I have capacity to worship, serve, and endure
Physical training for personal achievement or self-image	Using my strength and skills in concrete acts of love for my neighbor
Rest and recovery just to feel better or perform better tomorrow	Fasting and other bodily disciplines that loosen appetite’s grip and increase my dependence on God
Fitness as a personal project	Offering my body and energy in gathered worship, mission, hospitality, and costly obedience
Managing my schedule for personal productivity and balance	Ordering my days so that love for God and neighbor sets the priorities, not self-optimization

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul doesn’t despise the gym: “bodily training is of some value,” he says, but “godliness is of value in every way” (1 Timothy 4:8). More in Love God With All Your StrengthComing November 6.

A few things to keep in mind

The same action can sit on either side. Reading, lifting, journaling, resting. None of these belong to one column. What moves a habit from left to right is usually some mix of these: Scripture, prayer, worship, dependence, and service to someone else for His sake.

Loving God always overflows to your neighbor. If your “Godward” habits never make you kinder, more generous, or more available to the people around you, check the aim again. The two commands come as a pair. That’s the +1Coming November 13.

This isn’t about more guilt. The goal isn’t to slap a Bible verse on every workout or turn breakfast into a religious performance. Jesus warned about exactly that: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). Habits done for God to be seen as godly have just snuck back into the left column. This is about direction, not decoration.

You won’t get this right on your own. Every one of us drifts left. We start a habit for God and six weeks later we’re doing it for the streak. That’s not a reason to quit. It’s a reason to come back to the cross, where Jesus loved God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength on our behalf, and to ask again for a heart that wants Him first.

Try this

Pick one habit you already keep. Just one. The next time you do it, stop for ten seconds and ask:

Who or what is this ultimately for right now?

Then, if the honest answer is “me,” don’t throw the habit out. Turn it. Add a sentence of prayer before you start. Thank God for the body, the mind, or the morning you’re about to use. Ask who else might be served by what you’re building.

If you’re in Agōn, look at your 12:30+1 with this chart beside it. Your disciplines are already sorted into heart, soul, mind, strength, and neighbor. The question is which column each one lives in.

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).