Consistency Over Intensity
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin… Zechariah 4:10
The Illusion of the Immediate
In January I hope you were encouraged to “just start” something. Now it’s February which means most people have given up on what they had a resolution to do for the year of 2026.
Men tend to start strong. Men are also busy so when we start strong but then miss a couple days or opportunities, instead of it turning to fuel to push harder, we often feel guilt. And that usually will eventually lead to quitting. But men don’t quit because they don’t care. They quit because they think they have failed.
That failure is years in the making from all kinds of external forces telling us that we have to do things with an unsustainable intensity or its not worth doing. But the blueprint of Scripture would argue that. HARD.
The idea of intense commitment and effort isn’t new… The Israelites must have had social media influencers and workaholic bosses telling them how much they needed things immediately because they seemed oblivious to the long term vision God had painted for Abram (even Abram tried to speed things up by having a son with a woman besides the one God told him he would build a nation with). When they were wandering the desert they had the audacity to tell Moses that they would have been better off staying in Egypt as slaves being beaten and waiting on scraps of meat because they would have at least had food that day. They couldn’t see how the hand of God has provided for them and that they are centuries into God preparing them to be given a land that would become a kingdom and they lack the long obedience to be faithful in small things.
The Israelites got impatient and built a golden calf.
Saul panicked and lost the kingdom.
Esau sold his birthright.
David wanted Bathsheba.
The disciples expected a kingdom in their time.
The rich young ruler chose comfort and security.
Over and over again, Scripture shows what happens when men trade long obedience for immediate relief. All of this points to us having a good start and taking a step of obedience, and then the fire and faith trailing off.
Long Obedience
Extraordinary men are forged from ordinary obedience. When men are faithful in the small, simple things we create space to seen the long-term vision and we are shaped by our discipline. A key to following Jesus is no different than completing a New Year’s resolution. It’s long obedience. Doing the things that feel like they don’t make a splash in the moment but are significant over time.
I heard a pastor talk on how we live obsessed with harvest moments, but the truth is that identity is formed in sowing seasons. Jon Tyson says that if we tend to the roots of our heart, the fruit will take care of itself.
For example, ten minutes a day of anything seems really insignificant at first glance. But ten minutes a day is 70 minutes a week. That’s 300 minutes a month. And it’s 60 hours a year.
What would 60 hours of prayer over a year do for your relationship with God?!
You could spend 60 hours in conversation with your wife.
The average reader would finish 12 books in a year.
You could take ten minutes a day to send one encouraging text to 365 people.
Learn to play an instrument.
So maybe the most spiritual thing you can do this week isn’t start something new—but return to something small.
Not with intensity. Not with guilt. But with faithfulness. And a long-term vision.
God is not waiting for the harvest to rejoice. He rejoices when the sower drops his seeds in faith.
Consistency over immediacy.
Sowing over harvesting.
Roots over fruit.
“…the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…