Can you believe it? It’s already December 1, 2025. Christmas is just a little over three weeks away. Today, let’s talk about the heart of the matter. It’s not about rules. It’s not about mandates. It’s about a new heart. Read on…
Today's Reading:
Romans 5,6,7,8
Scripture
“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed; and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17–18)
Observation
Paul draws a clear line between life under the law and life under grace. He writes, “Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). The law sets boundaries and polices behavior. Rules can restrain conduct, but they cannot reshape the soul. They may regulate actions and curb misconduct, but they can never touch the deeper territory of the heart. The law can measure what I do, but not who I’m becoming.
Grace, however, works from the inside out. It doesn’t reinforce external rules—it transforms the inner person. Because Christ satisfied the demands of the law, the measuring rods of performance no longer define our standing with God. Salvation is no longer a checklist; it is the miracle of a heart being made new.
Application
This is why He invites us into a relationship through Jesus Christ—so He can change us at the core, not merely polish the surface. As Paul reminds us, “By grace you have been saved through faith… not as a result of works” (Eph. 2:8–9).
Yet grace brings its own tension. If I am not judged by the law, then why not indulge? Paul confronts that thought immediately: “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!” (Rom. 6:15). Grace isn’t permission to sin; it is power to obey—from the heart.
There are two kinds of obedience.
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Obedience from the law is driven by pressure, fear, or performance—and it often produces pride.
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Obedience from the heart grows from gratitude and love. It is the soil where genuine faith takes root.
Heart-obedience is where transformation begins. It moves the Christian life from obligation to joy, from striving to trusting, from religion to relationship. Today, I choose that path.
Prayer
Father, teach me to build my faith through obedience that rises from the heart. Guard me from a polished, external Christianity without the inner life of faith. Renew my motives, align my desires, and help me obey—not from pressure, but from love. Amen
–Wayne Cordeiro
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