Tuesday | The Blueprint: Intentional Rhythms
Tuesday | The Blueprint: Intentional Rhythms
Tuesday, August 18, 2025
Reading For Tuesday | John 15:4-5
BUILDING WITH PURPOSE
If the foundation determines a house’s strength, the blueprint determines its shape. Before the first wall is framed, before the first nail is hammered, the builder knows exactly where each piece will go. Without a plan, the construction process becomes chaotic, with costly mistakes and wasted effort.
Our spiritual lives aren’t much different. Many of us try to “build” a life with God on the fly, hoping good intentions will be enough. We pray when we feel like it. We read Scripture if we have time. We serve when it’s convenient. But over time, without a clear plan, we drift—and our days fill up with urgent demands that crowd out the most important things.
That’s where a rule of life functions like a spiritual blueprint. It’s not a rigid schedule or a performance checklist. It’s a prayerful plan for arranging your time, priorities, and energy so that your whole life is built around abiding in Christ. Jesus said plainly, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). If we don’t intentionally make space for Him, we will unintentionally crowd Him out.
Think about it this way: a blueprint doesn’t do the building for you, but it keeps every step aligned with the architect’s design. God is the Master Builder, and He has a vision for your life that is more beautiful and purposeful than anything you could design yourself (Ephesians 2:10). Your rule of life is a way of saying, “I want my life to take the shape You have in mind, Lord.”
If the foundation determines a house’s strength, the blueprint determines its shape. Before the first wall is framed, before the first nail is hammered, the builder knows exactly where each piece will go. Without a plan, the construction process becomes chaotic, with costly mistakes and wasted effort.
Our spiritual lives aren’t much different. Many of us try to “build” a life with God on the fly, hoping good intentions will be enough. We pray when we feel like it. We read Scripture if we have time. We serve when it’s convenient. But over time, without a clear plan, we drift—and our days fill up with urgent demands that crowd out the most important things.
That’s where a rule of life functions like a spiritual blueprint. It’s not a rigid schedule or a performance checklist. It’s a prayerful plan for arranging your time, priorities, and energy so that your whole life is built around abiding in Christ. Jesus said plainly, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). If we don’t intentionally make space for Him, we will unintentionally crowd Him out.
Think about it this way: a blueprint doesn’t do the building for you, but it keeps every step aligned with the architect’s design. God is the Master Builder, and He has a vision for your life that is more beautiful and purposeful than anything you could design yourself (Ephesians 2:10). Your rule of life is a way of saying, “I want my life to take the shape You have in mind, Lord.”
PRACTICE FOR TODAY | DRAFT YOUR FIRST LINES
- Set aside 15–20 minutes with a notebook or document.
- Write down the 3–5 daily or weekly rhythms that help you stay closest to God.
- Examples: starting the day with prayer, ending the day with gratitude, Sabbath rest, Scripture before screens, gathering weekly with a small group, serving regularly.
- Ask God: “Which of these rhythms do You want me to hold onto? Which need to change?”
- Pray over your list, asking God to help you design a life that makes room for Him in every corner.