A LONG OBEDIENCE IN THE SAME DIRECTION
"If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?"
Luke 16:10 (NLT)
There are two ways in which God brings transformation:
- Breakthrough
- A Process
Sometimes, God instantly heals an addiction or immediately gives great faith. However, there are other times when it is a process. The disciples are wonderful examples of this. Peter drops his net to follow Jesus, but it’s a process for him to experience the true transformation he expected much sooner. This is why he was so confident he wouldn’t deny Jesus.
I love breakthroughs and pray for more in my life and yours. However, sometimes following God is a journey. I can tell you that for years I prayed for a passion that would cause the things of this world to grow strangely dim, as the old hymn goes, but I never experienced it. Some friends did, and I wondered what was wrong with me. It seemed that one prayer time, and they were forever changed. For me, the passion and fire for God developed over time.
The same is true with forgiveness. Some people have a breakthrough where they’re freed the first time they pray, while others spend much of their lives learning to let go of unforgiveness. I don’t know why it happens like this, but it does. It also should offer relief, knowing there’s nothing wrong with you. Don’t give up if your passion for God isn’t where you want it to be. Stay the course. Like a fire is slowly kindled, if you stay faithful to meet with God, He will begin to fan into flame a greater faith. Just remember, it’s a process.
One of my favorite definitions of faith is a long obedience in the same direction. I love this because we usually hear something, get fired up and try to get where we desire overnight. The motives are good, but the practice isn’t. Spiritually we must choose consistency over intensity. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers: The Story of Success, wrote that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in anything. He said, 10,000 hours of deliberate practice are needed to become world-class in any field. I’m unsure if it takes precisely 10,000 hours, but I know it takes a long time. Remember that faithfulness is a long obedience in the same direction. We must choose consistency that leads us to intensity over time!
APPLICATION: Today, choose consistency over intensity. Create a plan to spend time with God daily.
PRAYER: Ask God to speak to you about how to spend time with Him daily. Remember, God is the God of creativity and how you connect with God might be a little different than I do but listen for God to speak about how you can be consistent with Him.