Seeking God's Heart: Beyond Transactional Faith

Devotional

Day 1: True Faith Seeks God for Who He Is

True faith is about knowing and loving God for who He is, not for what He does for us. When we approach God with a transactional mindset—expecting blessings in exchange for our faithfulness, service, or prayers—we miss the heart of a genuine relationship with Him. God desires that we seek Him simply because He is God, the one true living God, worthy of our love and devotion. Our faith is meant to be rooted in His character, not in the outcomes we hope to receive. As you reflect on your walk with God, consider whether your faith is built on who He is or on what He gives. [33:42]

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Reflection: In your prayers and worship this week, are you seeking God Himself, or are you more focused on what you want Him to do for you? How can you shift your focus to simply delighting in who He is?

Day 2: God’s Faithfulness Remains Even When Ours Falters

God’s faithfulness is unwavering, even when we are unfaithful or struggle in our belief. No matter what life throws at us—whether it’s unanswered prayers, difficult neighbors, or family challenges—God remains present and steadfast. He cannot deny Himself; His nature is to be faithful to His people. This assurance means that we can trust Him in every circumstance, knowing that His love and presence do not depend on our performance or feelings. Rest in the certainty that God is always with you, supplying what you need according to His perfect will and timing. [48:21]

2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)
"If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself."

Reflection: Think of a time when you felt distant from God or doubted His presence. How did He show His faithfulness to you even in that season, and how can you remember that truth in your current circumstances?

Day 3: Beware of Transactional Faith

It is easy to slip into a transactional approach to God, treating our relationship with Him like a contract—expecting blessings or answers in return for our obedience or service. But God calls us into a covenant relationship, one that is initiated and sustained by His love, not by our efforts or bargaining. Contracts are temporary and based on mutual benefit, but God’s covenant is eternal and rooted in His unchanging love. When we serve or worship God, let it be out of love and gratitude, not out of a desire to earn His favor or blessings. [43:55]

Luke 15:28-31 (ESV)
"But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.'"

Reflection: Are there areas in your life where you find yourself “keeping score” with God or expecting something in return for your faithfulness? What would it look like to serve and love God with no strings attached?

Day 4: God’s Answers Are Rooted in His Wisdom and Love

God invites us to pray specifically, persistently, and with faith, but His answers are always given according to His perfect wisdom and love. Sometimes, what we desire most does not come to pass, and we may never know why. Yet, we can trust that God’s plan for us is better than anything we could have imagined, and that His “no” or “not yet” is an expression of His care. Our relationship with God is not measured by the number of answered prayers, but by the depth of our trust in His goodness, even when we don’t understand. [53:05]

Romans 8:28 (ESV)
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Reflection: Is there a prayer you’ve been waiting on God to answer? How can you trust His wisdom and timing, believing that His plan is truly for your good?

Day 5: Seek a Deeper Relationship, Not Just Blessings

The greatest gift God offers is Himself—a relationship marked by presence, love, and peace. Some of the most meaningful moments in life are simply being with those we love, not because of what they give us, but because of who they are. In the same way, God desires that we seek Him for the joy of knowing Him, not just for the blessings He provides. As you worship and pray, focus on deepening your relationship with God, enjoying His presence, and letting your heart be satisfied in Him alone. [54:58]

Psalm 27:4 (ESV)
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

Reflection: What is one way you can intentionally pursue a deeper relationship with God this week, focusing on His presence rather than His gifts?

Sermon Summary

This morning, we gathered to celebrate God’s faithfulness and to lift up both our praises and our burdens. We rejoiced in answered prayers—loved ones returning home, safety in travel, and the simple joys of family. Yet, we also carried the weight of those who are suffering, asking God to bring healing, comfort, and peace. In all these things, we were reminded that God’s love for us is steadfast, unconditional, and not dependent on our performance or even our willingness to receive it.

We explored the subtle but significant danger of treating our relationship with God as a transaction. Like someone frustrated with a vending machine that doesn’t deliver after payment, we can fall into the trap of thinking our faithfulness, service, or giving should guarantee us certain blessings or answers to prayer. But true faith is not about what God does for us—it’s about knowing and loving God for who He is. Our relationship with Him is rooted in covenant, not contract. Covenants are initiated by God, sustained by His love, and are eternal. Contracts, on the other hand, are temporary, self-initiated, and based on mutual benefit or protection.

Scripture gives us many examples—Jonah, the rich young ruler, the older brother in the prodigal son story—of people who struggled with conditional, transactional faith. Their disappointment or anger came from unmet expectations, not from a lack of God’s love or faithfulness. We, too, are challenged to examine whether we follow God simply for who He is, or for what we hope to receive.

God’s faithfulness does not waver, even when ours does. He remains present, loving, and trustworthy, regardless of our circumstances or attitudes. We are called to seek God first—not His blessings, not specific answers, but God Himself. As we do, we can trust that He will provide exactly what we need, in His perfect timing. This week, let’s pay attention to our prayers and worship: are we seeking God’s hand, or His heart? Let’s pursue a relationship with Him that is about presence, not performance, and rest in the peace that comes from knowing Him.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s love is unconditional and unwavering, not based on our actions or worthiness. Even when we fail, resist, or misunderstand Him, His faithfulness remains. This truth is the foundation of our security and hope, especially in times of uncertainty or disappointment. [09:36]
2. Transactional faith—treating God like a vending machine—subtly creeps in when we expect our faithfulness or service to guarantee specific blessings. This mindset shifts our focus from God’s character to our own desires, leading to frustration and spiritual dryness when expectations aren’t met. True faith is rooted in loving God for who He is, not for what He does. [31:13]
3. The difference between covenant and contract is crucial: God initiates covenants out of love, making eternal promises that are relational and unbreakable. Contracts, by contrast, are temporary, self-protective, and based on mutual benefit. When we approach God contractually, we miss the depth and security of His covenant love. [40:41]
4. Faith is tested when prayers seem unanswered or life takes unexpected turns. The call is to trust God’s wisdom and timing, believing that He knows what is best for us—even when we don’t see it. Our relationship with God should not be contingent on outcomes, but anchored in His unchanging nature. [45:18]
5. Seeking God first means pursuing His presence and character above all else, rather than comparing blessings or focusing on what we lack. As we shift our prayers and worship to center on who God is, we find peace, contentment, and a deeper relationship that sustains us through every season. [54:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[07:00] - Praises and Prayer Requests
[08:10] - Remembering God’s Goodness
[09:36] - God’s Unconditional Love
[10:28] - Praying for Healing and Strength
[12:31] - Focusing on God in Daily Life
[13:18] - Worship and Giving
[14:06] - The Vending Machine Analogy
[31:13] - Transactional Faith Exposed
[36:35] - Biblical Examples of Conditional Faith
[40:41] - Covenant vs. Contract
[45:18] - Trusting God in Unanswered Prayers
[49:57] - God’s Faithfulness and Provision
[50:41] - Seeking God First
[54:08] - Pursuing Relationship Over Results
[55:43] - Examining Our Prayers and Worship
[58:21] - Surrendering to God’s Love
[61:37] - Final Blessing and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

In Jonah 4, what is Jonah’s main complaint to God after Nineveh is spared? How does God respond to Jonah’s anger? [36:35]
In Luke 15:25-32, what reasons does the older brother give for feeling upset with his father? What does the father say in response? [39:17]
According to Matthew 6:31-34, what does Jesus say we should seek first, and what does He promise will happen as a result? [49:57]
The sermon compared our relationship with God to a vending machine. What does this analogy mean, and how does it show up in our expectations of God? [14:06]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jonah was so upset when God showed mercy to Nineveh? What does this reveal about Jonah’s understanding of God’s love and justice? [36:35]
The older brother in Luke 15 felt he deserved more because of his faithfulness. How does this attitude reflect a transactional approach to God? [39:17]
The sermon said, “True faith is all about knowing and loving God for who he is and not for what he does.” What does it look like to love God for who He is, rather than for what He gives? [31:13]
How does seeking God’s presence (His heart) differ from seeking His blessings (His hand)? Why is this distinction important for our spiritual growth? [54:08]

Application Questions

The sermon challenged us to examine our prayers and worship. When you pray, do you find yourself asking more for things from God, or simply expressing love and gratitude for who He is? How could you shift your prayers this week? [55:43]
Think about a time when you felt disappointed with God because a prayer wasn’t answered the way you hoped. Did you notice any “transactional” thinking in your response? How might you respond differently now? [45:18]
The difference between a covenant and a contract is that a covenant is based on relationship and love, while a contract is based on mutual benefit. In what ways have you approached God more like a contract than a covenant? What would it look like to trust in His covenant love? [40:41]
The sermon mentioned several biblical examples (Jonah, the rich young ruler, the older brother) who struggled with conditional faith. Which of these stories do you relate to most, and why? [36:35]
Jesus says to “seek first the kingdom of God.” What is one practical way you can put seeking God’s presence above seeking His blessings in your daily life this week? [49:57]
When you look at your life, are there areas where you compare your blessings to others and feel frustrated or left out? How can focusing on God’s unchanging love help you find peace and contentment? [51:33]
The sermon encouraged us to rest in the peace that comes from knowing God, not just from getting what we want. What is one step you can take this week to rest in God’s presence, even if your circumstances don’t change? [59:53]

Sermon Clips

What we're talking about today is sometimes how we treat God like a vending machine. Now, we're not putting money in necessarily, but we are depositing our faithfulness, our attendance, our giving, our Bible reading, our service and all these kind of things and then when times get tough and something's going on and we pray God this is what I need we don't get exactly the answer to the prayer that we were looking for and we feel like we've been cheated. [00:31:21]

True faith is all about knowing and loving God for who he is and not for what he does. If our faith in God was based solely on what he does for us, we might struggle a little more than we already do with faith because we may not always see those things that he does for us. [00:32:50]

When we start to put transactions into our relationship with God, we're going to struggle just a little bit. And I mean, here's the thing, it's not new. This is not just something we've come up with in the western church in the last couple of centuries. We see it all through scripture. [00:35:23]

All of these things, all of these instances in Scripture, and there are more, and all these things that we experience in our life have one thing in common. They all start with us. It all comes out of us, our life, our hearts, our desires. It all comes out of our impression of what we think our life should be like. [00:40:04]

Covenants are all based on the relationship. It's all based on love for each other, respect for each other, understanding each other. Covenant comes out of this, we're in this together mindset. They're bound for all of eternity. There's nothing that takes the covenant away and is sustained solely by love. [00:41:10]

Covenants, all of them, are initiated by God. God is the one who said, here's the one that said, here's the expectation, here's the standard. You do this, I'll do this. Covenants come from God. [00:41:48]

When we turn our relationship with God into transactional things, we're approaching God in a way that he never designed our relationship to be. [00:44:11]

Do you believe in God and do you follow Jesus just simply because of who he is? Is God being God enough for you to believe in him? Is looking at God and seeing his greatness, his love, his majesty, is all these things enough for you to believe in God? [00:44:40]

Do you still trust God when you don't see the answers and the results that you're looking for? We've been praying about X for the last five years, we still haven't seen an answer. Do we still trust God that he's listening to us, do we still trust that he's hearing us, do we still trust that he loves us because we're not seeing what it is we've been praying about? [00:45:53]

Because those can change, what we have to hold on to very simply is this. God himself doesn't change. In 2 Timothy, we read these words. Even when we are unfaithful, God remains faithful. For this reason, God can't deny who he is. God can't disown himself. God can't be anything other than faithful to us. [00:48:14]

No matter what life looks like, no matter what it's throwing at us, God is faithful and he's there. No matter our attitude towards him during this stuff, God is there. [00:48:43]

Because God has promised to supply all of our needs. And he's also promised, we read in scripture, it's according to his perfect will and timing. Because God is a covenant God. We have nothing to worry about. No matter what life is, no matter what life looks like, God is there for us. [00:49:43]

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And then all of these things will be added. Seek God first. Seek the life that he has for you first. All this other stuff that you might tend to seek, that's when it's going to come. And God will give it to you exactly when and how you need it. [00:50:30]

Seeking God first just simply because he's God, not because of what he does. That's what we've been talking about. Seek God first because he is the one, the one true living God. Seek him, not what he does. Seek him and not all the blessings. [00:50:56]

If God truly wants the best for you, which is what Scripture tells us, then the life that you lived was the better option than what the answer to that prayer would have been. [00:53:05]

Pray specifically. Pray urgently, pray urgently, fervently. Pray without ceasing. Pray knowing that God is listening to you. And pray knowing that he will answer you in his time in the best way. Seek God. [00:53:20]

Seek knowing him more. Seek that deeper relationship with him. That more open relationship with him. Seek that relationship with him. Where it's just simply about each other. [00:54:01]

God just simply wants our hearts. He's already promised that. He's already promised that. Come to me. Give me your heart. Give me your soul, your mind, your strength. Give me all that you are. Seek me. See what happens. [00:58:05]

That peace that we all desire, that in life that we all look for, comes from the hand of a God that loves us. And we can say it's well when we remember God, who he is. [01:01:11]

Seek first God, seek first his kingdom. And go in the certainty of knowing that as you do he's embracing you with all that you want. Go in the blessings and the peace of a God that loves you. Go with the hope and the certainty that he is with you every moment, every day. He does it for his sake because that's who he is. [01:05:19]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What distinguishes covenant love from transactional faith?

How can believers recognize a shift to transactional faith?

Why is seeking God's character more important than His actions?