Most things that are good take time to make, build, develop or mature- a career, a relationship, a reputation, business success, a pattern of eating healthily, routine. All of these take time, repetition, practice and developed experience. None of them are instantaneously achieved. One cannot develop a career or a meaningful and committed relationship overnight. One cannot become a business success or a healthy person in one day. These develop over months and years.
In fact, the Bible is filled with passages that speak of long term faithfulness (David and Joseph among them) and patterns to follow as Paul had established (I Corinthians, 2 Timothy and Philippians) with even a promise for good measure that those who remain faithful to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). We speak of life as a marathon rather than a sprint. We celebrate those who have been consistent over time.
This is especially true in Christianity where we realize that anyone can make promises of love and goodness. But, only God centered love and goodness with remain. We of all people know that the flash of celebrity and the glitz of wealth are momentary. We understand that the Real will persist and prevail- all long term concepts while the temporary is just that.
We must never forget, however, that all of that is derived from a momentary action. The Lord reminds us after speaking of the Branch, whom we know to be Jesus, in Zechariah 3:9, “I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.” The context was the Lord speaking to Joshua, the high priest. The high priest would annually make atonement for the people and it was a week long affair including sacrifices and much blood and ritual. The process was annually arduous. The effects were short-lived. But, in this one moment, God commits to removing sin in a single day. We now know that this would be with a single, once-for-all sacrifice. Salvation was instantly developed and lastingly provided in a moment of God’s faithfulness.
In a world where we think everything lasting is developed over long periods of time with repetition and much practice, the one thing that matters most is developed in a moment. I use the word “developed” intentionally. It is done in such a way that cannot be improved upon or advanced. It is a finished work. We should never forget that. What matters most in this world, God can make right in a moment. That is why every person who has come to Christ with the baggage of a life poorly lived discovers a freshness and a cleansing that seems exhilaratingly impossible. The surprise is the change that takes place on the heals of a confession and a repentant heart.
In other words, what God wants us to develop over a lifetime, he initiates and settles in a moment. After all, salvation is a miracle. And, miracles are by their very nature, short-tracking processes that are normally long term if they are possible at all. God develops in an instant the most important actions impacting our lives. The next time you are thinking of the long road, remember the quick start and the sure ending all based upon a moment of Divine faithfulness.