Discovering God's WillExemplo

A Long Game, Not a Short-Term Goal

Participating professionally in most sports involves years of training, intense commitment and sacrifice, and long, unpredictable seasons.

Major League Baseball’s season consists of 162 games for each of the 30 teams, extending over six months and totaling 2,430 games, not counting the postseason.

NHL teams play 82 games from early fall to the spring before the playoff round to award the Stanley Cup champion.

Most Olympic athletes can take up to 8-12 years to perfect their craft and be ready to compete at the highest levels.

The Christian life is often likened to a marathon, not a sprint. Finding God’s will is playing for the long season and having a long-game mentality. We can be tempted to see God’s will as a short-term solution for our immediate questions, but it is so much more.

Listen to Jesus’s words again: “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:38–40)

Jesus’s commitment to God’s will was evident in His life and teachings; it guided His actions, decisions, and ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. The plan of salvation was a long-term mission to reach every person, extending to the last days.

This is a “long obedience in the same direction,” as referred to by Eugene Peterson. He states: “The central reality for Christians is the personal, unalterable, persevering commitment God makes to us. Perseverance is not the result of our determination, it is the result of God’s faithfulness.”

Our commitment to God’s will is preceded and exceeded by His commitment to us. Jesus modeled long-game obedience, and He has invited us to the same.

The long game of God’s will is to be on a mission with Jesus, to be men of legacy for our families, and to be relentlessly committed to loving our neighbor.

Press on, brother. The game may be long, but the victory is guaranteed!

Prayer: Lord, help me glorify You with long obedience in the same direction for the rest of my life. Please help me to be on a mission with You. Amen.

Reflection: Think about the legacy you would leave if you were to leave this earth today. Now, think about the legacy you want to leave behind. If there is a gap between the two, write them down, pray, and ask God to close the gap so you can begin that long obedience today.