That’s a great lesson for your kids to remember, but it has ramifications for our spiritual lives as well.

You should invest less time in certain relationships because they’ll drag you down. If you hang out with people who have no ambition, you’ll have no ambition. If you hang out with critical people, you’ll become critical. The people you spend the most time around will influence what you’re like on a day-to-day basis.

The Bible tells us this about our spiritual growth: “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NLT).

That’s why it’s so important to spend time with Jesus every day. Your spiritual growth depends upon it. You become more like Jesus when you spend time with him.

I highly recommend finding a special spot where you can spend time with God each day. Start with five, 10, or 15 minutes a day. It doesn’t matter when you do it—just do it! Grab your Bible, find your favorite chair, read for a few minutes, and then talk to God about what’s going on in your life.

Even Jesus made a habit of going to a place where he could talk with his heavenly Father. Luke 22:39 describes him going to the Mount of Olives to pray “as usual” (NIV).

If Jesus made it a point to spend time with his Father, won’t that habit benefit you, too? It’s the only way you’ll really start to become more like him.