For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

– 2 Peter 1:5-8

Routines can often grind a person down to going through the motions. Life’s requirements and the laundry list of responsibilities (and sometimes literally the pile of laundry) can weigh down commitment and desire.

God knows we need continual focus and renewed satisfaction that comes only from Him. Instead of looking only to our to-do list and trying to fulfill everyone else’s expectations, God wants our hearts to be captivated and motivated to action in these ways:

• Goodness
• Knowledge
• Self-control
• Endurance
• Godliness
• Brotherly affection
• Love

These aren’t just to be added to the already long list of tasks for the day. Our faith needs them. God wants these qualities to be increasing in our lives, so that we will be useful and fruitful to Him.

That is what I want. I want to be useful to my Savior.

So, if my day doesn’t involve showing goodness, spending time with God and growing in my understanding of His character and plan, receiving strength to be self-controlled and staying committed to what is right, becoming more like Christ, and loving others like Jesus loves me, it doesn’t matter how clean the kitchen is or if the beds are made.

Being useful to God has nothing to do with the ability to cook a gourmet meal or successfully navigating a merger or managing a multiple-line reception phone.

It is when I exercise my faith that God is most pleased.