Sick of Religion? Week 6: Devotional Day 6

Sick of Religion? Week 6: Devotional Day 6

DAY 6 – Saturday

Daily devotional

Read

Mark 3:14-15; Mark 3:34-35; Romans 14:17; Ephesians 4-6

Ask

Jesus wants his disciples to “be with him” and be “sent out”. Who else is considered part of Jesus’ family and do you see yourself in that way? (See Mark 3:35)

Reflect

Jesus says that “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35). And in the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But how can we know God’s will in order to do it?

One of my favorite books is J.I. Packer’s Knowing God.[1] In it, he lays out a case for how we can know God and his will.

  1. God speaks to us through the Bible (therefore we should read it!).
  2. God is Lord and King, ruling all things for his glory so we may worship and adore him.
  3. God is Savior through Jesus Christ to rescue believers from guilt and sin, adopt them as his children, and bless them.
  4. God is triune, working and acting together in salvation (the Father purposes redemption, the Son secures it, and the Spirit applies it).
  5. Godliness (and this is the key) is responding to God’s revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, and submission and service. This is true religion, Packer argues.

Today, meditate on how you can do God’s will and live in God’s Kingdom: be full of joy, hope, and peace as a child of God, citizen of heaven, and faithful disciple of Jesus Christ (Romans 14:17; Ephesians 4-6).

[1] J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 20th Anniversary edition (InterVarsity Press, 1993)