We Don't Work for God, We Walk with God
A Rejection of "Obligatory" Discipleship
Many Christians view their relationship with God as transactional. We pray because we need something. We serve because we should. We obey hoping God will bless us. This subtle shift transforms discipleship from loving communion into religious obligation. Gary Tyra warns against this tendency, noting that authentic spiritual formation emerges not from effort-driven religion but from Spirit-empowered relationship.
Jesus illustrates this distinction in John 15:1-8. He does not command, “Work harder for me.” Instead, he invites, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you” (John 15:4, NIV). The vine does not compensate branches for producing fruit. Branches simply abide, drawing life from their source. Fruit comes naturally from that connection. Similarly, our spiritual vitality flows not from working for God but from walking with God, abiding in his presence through the Spirit’s empowering work.
A transactional mindset produces anxiety and burnout. We constantly measure our performance, wondering if we have done enough. Walking with God, however, invites us into grace-filled rest. Tyra emphasizes that the Holy Spirit initiates and sustains our transformation, making discipleship fundamentally relational rather than achievement-based. We respond to God’s love rather than earning it.
A transactional mindset produces anxiety and burnout.
Consider your own spiritual life. Do you approach God primarily when you need something? Does your devotion feel like obligation? Does guilt drive your service? These patterns reveal transactional thinking. God invites you instead to abide, to remain connected to Christ through prayerful dependence on the Spirit. Stop working for God’s approval. You already have it through Christ. Begin walking with God today, resting in his transforming grace as you journey together.
Gary Tyra, Introduction to Spirituality: Living the Spirit-Led Life (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2024), 45-62