Are You Stuck in Routine—or Walking in Relationship with Jesus?

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”—Hosea 6:6

Too often, religion becomes a checklist—go to church, say a prayer, give a little. But God’s never been interested in empty routines. From the start, He’s been after something deeper: a real relationship with His people. Like any good father—or husband—He’s not looking for duty without devotion. He wants love that moves us to obedience, not obligation that masks a cold heart.

Throughout the Old Testament, God is clear that He wants more than just our outward sacrifices; He also wants our hearts fully devoted to Him inward. To read more about this, read 1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 51:16-17, Isaiah 1:11-15, Jeremiah 7:2-23, Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6-8, or Mark 12:33.

If you think of our covenant relationship with God, it’s a bit like the marriage covenant. God does not want us just checking off a list of things we do for Him while having a heart that is not inclined toward Him. What God ultimately wants is for us to love Him and obey Him out of that love. In this section of Hebrews, the author quotes Psalm 40:6-8 to emphasize the point that the sacrificial system was temporary, and the ultimate goal was for Jesus Christ to open up a New Covenant relationship with God in which we would love and obey Him from the heart. A Bible commentary says, “those offerings are always seen in light of the offerer’s purity of heart. The point of Psalm 40 is that God wants the person, not sacrifices. And what he especially desired was the body (10:5, 10) of his Son.” (1)

God doesn’t want your performance—He wants your presence. Jesus didn’t die to make you more religious; He died to bring you closer to the Father. The New Covenant isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about walking with God from the heart.

What’s one step you can take today to give God your heart, like spending time in prayer, turning from sin, or doing something simply because you love Him, not because you have to?

(1) Robert B. Hughes and J. Carl Laney, Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary, The Tyndale Reference Library (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 670.

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