You Must Have Good Habits
- Baptist Daily Devotional
- Sep 28
- 3 min read
Rev. Tse Amable | September 28 2025 | Acts 17:1-5
KEY VERSE: “AS HIS CUSTOM WAS, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, .....” Acts 17:2 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
Welcome to the 17th chapter of the Book of Acts, which chronicles the work of the Holy Spirit among believers in Jesus Christ. The opening verse tells us that when the missionaries left Philippi in Macedonia, they arrived at Thessalonica after passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia. In Thessalonica, there was a Jewish synagogue, and Paul and Silas wasted no time in joining the worshippers. St. Luke made us know that it was Paul’s CUSTOM to go into synagogues to reason with them from the Scriptures. The word “CUSTOM” means it was what was reported to be Paul’s habit or something he usually did. The KJV’s rendition is “AS HIS MANNER WAS”.
Jesus Christ had a similar habit of going into the synagogue to read the scriptures. In Luke 4:16, we read “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”. That was the habit of our Master.
Prophet Daniel in the Old Testament also had a good habit of praying to God daily. When Daniel learned that his enemies misled King Darius to issue a decree outlawing praying to any deity except to the king (in a bid to put Daniel into trouble), he “went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. THREE TIMES A DAY HE GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES AND PRAYED, GIVING THANKS TO HIS GOD, JUST AS HE HAD DONE BEFORE” Daniel 6:10 (NIV). The dreadful penalty of being killed by lions in their den could not stop Daniel from doing what was his daily habit – praying and giving thanks to the Lord.
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
From Apostle Paul’s example and the examples of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see a number of good habits worthy of our emulation – reading the Bible, helping others to understand the scriptures, fellowshipping with other believers and having a regular habit of personal times of prayer. PRAYER:
Father, teach me good spiritual habits which will make me effective in my walk with you. Please help me to always practise these good habits even at the peril of my life. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 271 Isaiah 49–51 — The Servant’s Mission
DAILY word study: CUSTOM
The word custom in Acts 17:2 is translated from the Greek word ethō, which means “habit, practice, or something done regularly.” It comes from a root that speaks of forming patterns of life through repetition.
Paul’s “custom” of entering the synagogue was not a random act. It was his steady practice, built over time, to share the Scriptures wherever he went. The same word is used for Jesus in Luke 4:16, showing that even our Lord shaped His ministry through godly habits.
Reflect on this:
Spiritual habits don’t appear overnight — they grow through daily choices. When you repeat them faithfully, they become the rhythm that anchors your walk with God.
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