Devotional from Pastor Tim Chalas

When we ask, “What do I have to do as a Christian?” there’s usually pressure hiding behind the question.

Do I have to forgive? Do I have to love? Do I have to obey?

We hear those questions as if God is standing over us with a checklist, waiting to see whether we measure up. But that’s not the message of the gospel.

The truth is, you don’t have to do anything God calls you to do. He’s not forcing you to forgive, love, or obey. But here’s what has changed: your heart.

When you trusted Christ, He didn’t just forgive your sins. He gave you a new heart. He placed His Spirit within you. The Forgiver lives in you. The One who is love lives in you. The One who delights in the Father’s will lives in you.

That’s why there’s conflict when you choose what you feel over what you truly desire.

Your emotions may tell you to hold a grudge, protect yourself, or get even. But that’s no longer the desire of your heart…those are just feelings. Deep down, you want what God wants because He gave you a new heart. This is something we believe by faith…not feel.

The commands of the New Testament are no longer demands hanging over your head. They describe the very life that now fits your new identity. They call out of you what God has already placed in you.

That’s why forgiveness, love, and obedience are not ways to earn God’s approval. They are expressions of the new heart He has already given you. Even when you don’t feel like forgiving, your truest desire is still inline with His because Christ lives in you.

So maybe the question isn’t, “What do I have to do?” Maybe it’s, “What do I truly want now that I’ve been made new?”

That’s the difference between religion and grace. Religion says, “You have to.” Grace says, “You want to.”

And here’s another freeing thought: God isn’t frustrated with your lack of progress. He’s not impatiently waiting for you to get your act together. He sees the new heart He gave you, and He knows exactly where you are and exactly who you are. 

When you see yourself the way He sees you, you’ll find freedom from the pressure of performance and experience the joy of living from the life He has already placed within you.

A Prayer for This Week

Father, thank You for giving me a new heart and making me alive in Christ. Thank You that obedience is not a way to earn Your love, but away to express the life and desire You have already placed within me. Help me hear Your commands through grace, not fear. Teach me to live from who I already am in Jesus. Amen.

for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13