December 18, 2025. The date of the last Bible study I led at my workplace. I launched this study group nearly 15 years prior, in February of 2010. Looking back, it sounds like a long time. But in the moment, on Day 1 or for any given study, the effort was far less, for it was simply 1 study to prepare and 1 discussion to lead.
But during those 15 years, I prepared and led 549 Bible studies, a number I’d never imagined on launch day. I’m sure some of you have taught much more than that, but 15 years is a long time for any effort. Each week was a small step established by God. He used each meeting to accomplish His plan. Sometimes I was ill-prepared, but I never stopped meeting. When I couldn’t be there, I asked someone else to fill in. With leadership development in mind, I asked others to step out of their comfort zones to lead. But I only canceled when work events or holidays conflicted, when the conference room was urgently needed, when I was sick unexpectedly, or when there was only 1 other person in the room. I stretched myself sometimes, but skipping one meeting makes it easier to skip another, and another, and another. The small steps, meeting week after week, have profound impact over time.
Thank you for joining me for another fireside chat as I look back. Looking back is something we can do after we’ve pressed on for a distance. I feel like the easiest thing to do in any effort is to quit or let things slip, but staying the course is worth the expense.
When it comes to Bible studies, deciding on topics, taking the time to read and study, interpreting Scripture, dreaming up discussion questions, and talking with God about all of it can be a burden. But it’s exponentially more difficult to do this week after week, for years and years, when there is no external requirement to do so. The routine can be tiresome and even disruptive. We may feel like it’s not worth the effort. We may feel unappreciated at times. Our lowest turnout may come after we’ve developed the best lessons. There are many reasons to throw in the towel – reasons that easily come to mind.
We’re not all leading Bible studies, but maybe things are similar for you. Honestly, I occasionally think about how my life would be easier if I just stop writing. I’d have more time to enjoy my retirement. But, friends, 8 years ago I shared that writing is what God wants me to do and I committed to doing it until He tells me to stop. And I’m inspired by my father who would tell you the same thing. He has been teaching Greek and other biblical studies as long as I can remember. He currently teaches it weekly at his church where members of 2 other churches join the group as well. He said he will teach as long as he is able. We celebrated his 92th birthday last month.
I know of others who have not stopped serving God despite what we may consider to be perfect reasons to call it quits. They understand the value of perseverance. This is not to say that all efforts or ministries need to be long term. Not at all. There is certainly a place for short-term projects or ministries, whether the end dates are pre-determined or circumstantial. But even those efforts require perseverance, or what some have coined, “stick-to-itiveness.”
What would happen if the sun rose in the morning and didn’t travel its course into the day?
Does the sun stop burning? No. It has a path and a purpose, and the same is true for us. As we carry out God’s plan for each of us, good things happen. Like the sun that shines brighter as the morning passes, each step we take in service to God brings more light into the worlds of those He’s put in our paths. Look at what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:18:
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
The righteous – those who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord – are productive, with each step shining ever brighter, and each day more brilliant than the previous day. That’s the beauty of every small step we take: each Bible study we lead, each hand we hold in children’s ministry, each plate we prepare in the meal train for those in need, each burden we carry with another, each offense we forgive, each prayer we repeat, each homework assignment we help our child understand, each dish we clean, each smile we share. None of the steps of those who follow Jesus are insignificant, inconsequential, or wasted.
Why are the steps of the righteous productive? Because God establishes them. King Solomon confirmed this truth 3,000 years ago when he wrote Proverbs 16:3 and Proverbs 16:9:
16:3Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
…
16:9In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.
So, when attendance is low or plans don’t work out as we’d hoped, it’s okay. God establishes our plans and our steps. I’ve led plenty of Bible studies with just 2 other people at the table because God determined who would be there at each and every session. His ways and reasons are beyond our plans. Our job is prayer, preparation, and follow-through. Step by step, piece by piece. Big accomplishments are exciting, but big strides are not necessary. “The race is not always to the swift,”1 and slow and steady is perfectly okay when it comes to standing the test of time with our commitments, especially those commitments either to God or to others made before God, as in marriage or taking an oath to serve in some official capacity.
Stick with it. Don’t stop. Stay the course. Commit to not quit. God will bless us and others with each step, and we look forward to “a crown that will last forever.”
Do you not know that in a race
all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last,
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave
so that after I have preached to others,
I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
1Aesop’s Fables. The Tortoise and the Hare. Read the classic translation here. The oft-quoted moral of this story: “Slow and steady wins the race.”
If you want to dialog more about whether and how each step we take matters, feel free to leave a comment below or email me at steve@stephendelavega.com.
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