Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:07] Pastor Chuck Allen here. And thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. As you can tell, my voice is just a little scratchy today, but I want us to talk about something that I think is significant.
[00:00:19] Welcome so much to the weekday podcast. Let's talk about faithfulness, not perfection.
[00:00:28] I want to talk about this because I think it trips a lot of us up in our Christian walk.
[00:00:35] We, we strive for perfection, not excellence, not faithfulness, perfection. And we hold ourselves accountable at times, and we love to hold other people accountable to this. But perfection has a way of pretending to be noble, but really it just keeps us, well, stuck.
[00:00:55] It tells us, wait until you get it all right, wait until the timing is better. Wait until you have more clarity, more energy, more confidence, more proof, etc. And if you listen long enough, perfection will talk you out of starting altogether.
[00:01:14] But the way of Jesus is almost always the way of steady faithfulness. It's not flashy, it's not frantic, it's not fake, it's just faithful.
[00:01:28] Paul says it like this in Philippians 1:6 and I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. If you've been listening the last couple of days, you'll see this theme.
[00:01:47] That verse in Philippians 1:6 is such a gift for those of us that struggle with, well, being harsh on ourself and others.
[00:01:59] It reminds us that God is not done with us. He's not looking for instant completion. He loves to work on us over time. He begins, he continues, and he finishes. And that means your life doesn't have to look finished to be meaningful. You might be in a season where you feel behind.
[00:02:22] Maybe the dream is still in pieces. Maybe the habit is still forming. Maybe the prayer is still unanswered. Maybe the book, the ministry, the relationship, the healing, that leadership moment, maybe it's all still in progress. But that doesn't mean it's failing, it means it's growing.
[00:02:47] Zechariah 4:10 says, do not despise these small beginnings. For the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
[00:02:55] Excuse me. I love that God rejoices to see the work begin. Not just the final version, not just the polished result, but the beginning.
[00:03:06] That means small steps matter more than we really usually think.
[00:03:11] A short prayer, a rough draft, a first conversation, a five minute walk, a simple apology, an honest decision.
[00:03:19] One more day of showing up.
[00:03:22] Small beginnings and small faithfulness are not small to God because the writer of proverbs in chapter 16 says we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
[00:03:39] That verse should take a load off of us because a lot of us think we need a perfect plan before we can move. But Scripture says we make plans, but God shapes the steps. Plans are good. Precision is useful. But control, friend, that belongs to God.
[00:03:56] So maybe maturity isn't about perfection. Maybe maturity is being willing to take the next faithful step without needing to know the whole staircase.
[00:04:06] That's the spiritual rhythm here. Progress over performance.
[00:04:11] Formation, not fabrication, and consistency, not pressure.
[00:04:16] And I think that's where a quote like this lands really well.
[00:04:21] It's often attributed to Robert Collier.
[00:04:24] Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day after day after day.
[00:04:30] Now, whether you remember the name or not, the truth is solid.
[00:04:34] Small, repeated efforts shape a life. So today, don't ask, how do I do this? Perfectly ask, what's the next faithful step?
[00:04:44] And whatever it is, do that. Because God's not only present in the dramatic, he is present in the ordinary, in the repeated and in the steady obedience that builds a life.
[00:04:58] Friend lesson, it's not in the perfect plan that God's looking for you to live, but in the next right step, the next God honoring step. So keep going. Keep showing up. Keep taking those small steps. God's not finished with you yet. You don't have to be perfect to be moving forward. You just have to keep walking with God, one steady, faithful step at a time. God bless you, friend. Thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast.
