Hey friends, thanks for joining me in this LIFE ON MISSION with Jesus. I’m Tanner Klein.

I don’t know about you, but mornings really set the tone for my whole day.

Lately, the Lord has been stirring my heart to rethink what those early hours can look like, not in a burdensome or legalistic way, but in a way that actually honors Him, draws me closer to Jesus, and anchors me in truth before the volume of life gets increasingly louder.

It seems evident the way we begin our day can either pull us toward God or drift us deeper into distraction and directionlessness.

It’s helpful to know that the Scriptures give us a surprising amount of wisdom about mornings—how to approach them, what to seek, and what pleases God when the sun rises each morning.

So today, I want to talk about developing a practical and simple morning routine that honors the Lord our God.

Not a complicated one. Not a Pinterest-perfect or Instagramable one.

Just a faithful one. A joyful one.

A daily rhythm that exalts Christ and keeps our hearts tender, humble, and aware of His presence.

Lead the way, Lord our God!

1. Start the Morning by Seeking God Before Anything Else…Begin With Thankfulness

There’s something powerful about seeking the Lord early.

There is Biblical precedence for this.

David said: “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice” (Psalm 5:3).

In Psalm 143:8, David also prayed to the LORD,

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.

Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

And as always, we can look at Jesus’ example. He rose “very early in the morning, while it was still dark,” to pray (Mark 1:35 ).

So before grabbing our phones, before scrolling, before jumping into the day…we have the holy opportunity to pause and let our first conversation be with the Lord our Maker, the Lover of our souls.

We can keep the first things first. In this case, we can keep the Lord first.

It can be as simple as:

“Good morning, Lord. This day is Yours.”

This is a great introduction to new day engagement with the living God.

Psalm 92 says it’s good to declare God’s steadfast love in the morning.

There’s something about gratitude that aligns our hearts, lifts our eyes, and restores our perspective.

So maybe your morning gratitude sounds like:

“Lord, thank You for breath, for life, for this new day. Thank You for Your new mercies. Thank You for Your patience and presence with me now.”

Based on the Scriptures, I believe it’s clear that gratitude leads to praise. It honors the Lord, and it powerfully impacts our awareness of God’s nearness and goodness.

Seeking God first with thanksgiving really sets our trajectory for the day.

2. Offer Yourself and Your Day to God

Romans 12:1 calls this “spiritual worship,” or “latreia” in Greek:

presenting yourself to God as a living sacrifice—fully, honestly, & joyfully.

Paul writes,

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your (latreia) spiritual worship.”

So each morning, we can follow our thanksgiving with a submitted prayer such as:

“Lord Jesus, I belong to You. My day belongs to You. My time, my thoughts, my efforts. Teach me to walk in Your ways today.”

This is not an exercise in striving or performing for God’s approval or blessing.

This is a simple and honest act of surrendering to the trustworthy leadership of the Lord our Good Shepherd.

I think you’ll be amazed at how differently you walk through your day when you begin with this surrendered heart posture.

3. Prayerfully Engage with God by Reading His Word (even if it’s just a small portion)

Pray as you open the Word of God, fully expectant that God will draw near to You as You draw near to Him…knowing, He is ready to meet you where you are at.

Psalm 1 paints a picture of the blessed person—rooted, fruitful, steady—who meditates on God’s Word “day and night.” It also contrasts this person with the way of the wicked that will perish.

Your morning rhythm doesn’t have to be an hour-long Bible study.

But it can be steady, faithful, attentive, and responsive.

For example, read a section from the Gospels in the New Testament, from the accounts surrounding the way, truth, and life of Jesus Christ, found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

Turn to the Old Testament and read a psalm.

Read a Proverb.

Read in context.

Ask a simple question:

“Lord, how can I walk this out today?”

You don’t have to rush.

You don’t have to impress God.

Just open the Word and let God speak through it to you.

Listen and respond by faith. It’s that simple.

This act of hearing and responding by faith honors the Lord who designed us to walk in communion with Him.

4. Commit Yourself & Your Day to God

Here are some verses that I love, verses that have radically impacted my life and walk with the Lord.

Proverbs 16:3 says,

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”

That sounds amazing, right? But this is also why we read in context.

Proverbs 16:9 says,

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

So we see, we are to commit our work to the LORD and our “plans will be established,” while also knowing that it is not our plans or way that always prevails, but the LORD is the One who establishes our steps.

So, there’s a beautiful balance here.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

So, here’s a rhythm we can develop.

We can take 60 seconds with awareness of the Lord’s presence, and take a look at our calendar, our to-do lists, our prospective meetings or plans, and invite the Lord into all of it.

For example,

“Father in heaven, I acknowledge that Jesus is Lord over my life and Lord over this day. Guide me. Strengthen me and give me wisdom to pursue all You give me the grace to do with You. Let Your light shine through me.”

This is one way we walk in the fear of the Lord, acknowledging Him in all our ways and committing to God whatever He gives us the grace to pursue with Him.

5. Proactively Plan An Act of Love

Instead of being overwhelmed by all the things we could or should do, seek the Lord’s guidance in choosing at least one small, intentional act of love for the day.

Love-in-action is a right and beautiful response to God’s great love for us.

This may look like forgiving someone who wounded you, maybe a family member, boss, or someone close to you.

It might look like reaching out to encourage someone.

It might look like giving generously to someone in need.

It might look like doing the thing you have avoided to bless your spouse or honor your parents.

Maybe it’s putting away harsh words, releasing some pent up feelings to God, and choosing gentleness and kindness to someone who doesn’t seem to deserve it, or to someone who’s hard to love.

This is Kingdom living, one small, loving, and faithful step at a time.

6. Receive the Lord’s New Mercies

Lamentations 3:21-26 tells us that God’s mercies are new every morning. It says,

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

Every morning, God’s mercies are