Habit vs Religion

As we’ve moved through the days of this devotional, maybe you’ve had a nagging thought lurking at the back of your mind. 

‘But isn’t it more about relationship than religion? If we work to create more Godly habits, are we in fact striving? Relationship over religion means that it shouldn’t feel like work, should it?’. 

This might stir up controversy, but I think that anything of value requires investing of time, energy and/or money and our relationship with God must surely be the most valuable thing in our lives… so my answer would be, ‘yes, sometimes relationships will still feel like work’.  

Whenever He was asked Jesus said that we are to keep the law of Moses.  

In fact, throughout the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, He used this pattern: ‘you have heard it said… but I tell you…’, to exhort us to not only keep the law in our outward actions, but from the very centre of our beings; our heart posture and thought life. He calls His followers to a higher level of accountability, not a lower one, because the power of ‘working out your salvation’ in this way will draw others to see the light of Jesus in our lives (Philippians 2:12-16).  

We may all be doing well regarding the commandment to not commit murder, but when Jesus extended that to our thought life, saying that we should not be angry with a brother or a sister (Matthew 5:22), that feels like a lot more work to manage, right? 

And yet, Jesus also admonished Martha for asking Him to put her sister, Mary, to work, when He and the disciples came to visit their home (Luke 10:38-42). Mary had made the choice to sit in His presence, while Martha was doing the work of serving Him and the disciples food.  

We can associate anything that feels like ‘work’ with being a Martha, something we know we shouldn’t do, and so we question the ‘work’ of forming a new habit. But if the new habit is spending time in God’s word or being still in his presence, the ‘work’ of creating a new daily rhythm is the very thing that will bring you to sit at His feet like Mary and become more aware of His presence in the day-to-day.  

So, as we pursue new Godly habits, we need to find the balance. We are called to work out our salvation, we are commanded to keep the commandments. But we’re to do these from things from a place of relationship. We might need to schedule our new habit to begin with, and maybe even be accountable to someone else around it, but the fruit from it will be increased closeness to Jesus.  

‘Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.‘

(Philippians 2:12-16 NIV) 

Action it: 

Take a moment today to ask the Holy Spirit to show you where there is work to be done, and where there is striving. Where you need to apply ‘effort’ to your relationship with God versus where you are striving for approval.  

Be encouraged – He wants you to sit at His feet and rest in His presence today, tomorrow and the next day. He wants time together to be part of your daily rhythm.