Friday January 12, 2024

John 7:17
“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is
from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

Most doubters are of the opinion that they are too intellectual to be able to believe. But this is a misunderstanding. Faith is not based upon thinking but upon experience. Your doubts therefore arise from the fact that you lack certain experiences. Jesus sums up these experiences in the unique expression: “Do the will of God.” He says, as we have seen, that those who will do the will of God shall receive assurance. Now read your New Testament. Yes, but I doubt the Bible, you say. I know that. But you may well skip over the things that you doubt. You will still find enough passages which you yourself will acknowledge to be the will of God, eternal and unchangeable. Consider, for example, the Golden Rule.

Do this, Jesus says. Do not only debate, and talk, and wish, and hope, and wait, but do His will, He says. Some entirely new experiences will come to you. In the first place, you will find that you do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. In the second place, you will find that you cannot do it. In the third place, that you do not have the will to do it. It is too strenuous and disadvantageous. And therewith you will be convinced that Jesus is right when He says that you are evil. You know what is right and true, but you do not care to do it.

Then begin to pray to God.

Yes, but I do not believe in prayer, you say. I know that, but that does not matter. To pray is to speak candidly and confidentially with God. Begin by telling Him that you are a doubter. Then speak with Him about your other daily experiences as you seek to do the will of God.

In a very short time you will become remarkably well acquainted with Him concerning whom you have been in doubt. And when you have experienced that Jesus’ teaching about your sinfulness is of God, then it will not be long before the way to the cross of Christ will become both familiar and dear to you.

O. Hallesby, God’s Word for Today: A Daily Devotional for the Whole Year, translator Clarence J. Carlsen (Augsburg, 1994)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.