One Drop at a Time

One of my 2025 goals has been to get in better shape. On January 1st, I got up that morning and promptly did a vigorous workout, going for a 2-mile jog, using the rowing machine, and doing 25 push-ups, 25 sit-ups, and 25 squats. Rushing to the mirror, I noticed that very little change had occurred in that short time. The abs remained hidden. The tone of the muscles fell flat. The stomach… sadly, still as prominent as ever. One day of exercise would not be enough to get me to a place of athleticism and fitness. It would take days and months of dedicated deposits. Every small but positive decision would add one drop into the bucket of fitness until, eventually, the bucket overflows with the river of positive, lasting change.

The Christian is called to a life of overflow, where the Spirit of God moves in and through us. A life of overflow allows the hand of God to move through our own as we represent Him. The ultimate goal is to find our perfection in the newness of life that God offers us. To be completely fair, though, many days seem to leave us a fair distance from our goal. So, we dive head first into the things of God, trying to do everything in one day and get everything perfect the first time. Then, we look into the spiritual mirror, and things seem to fall flat. Paul speaks of this race towards glorification and abundance as he teaches the church in Corinth about the pursuit of overflow and abundance through the glory of God. 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)

Growing spiritually into overflow and abundance takes more than one hard day of spiritual exercise. It takes adding one drop at a time, making frequent daily deposits to your spiritual health and well-being. No one becomes a spiritual giant overnight and no one fills their bucket in one day just as no one becomes the pinnacle of athleticism in one night. Everyone, though, can progress towards overflow in life through daily drops that feed our relationship with Jesus Christ. Growing to overflow will not always be this massive dramatic expression daily. Still, everyone can move towards a full cup through faithful daily deposits into their relationship with Jesus Christ. 

The Joy of Daily Deposits

Keep Your Eye On The Prize 

The goal is the prize that Christ has already secured for us in heaven. So much of our culture is about trying to earn prizes or perform by being good enough. Jesus, though, secures the prize of our victory on our behalf to free us to run as fast as we can. On our bad days, God is faithful. On our good days, God is faithful. When we feel like it, God is faithful. When we don’t, God is still faithful. As we keep our eyes on Christ, we can train in the confidence of knowing who holds our victory on our behalf.

Take the Next Step 

Placing our faith in Jesus Christ is the first step in our new life secured by Christ’s hands. Growing in faith puts the next drop in the bucket rather than becoming overwhelmed by what appears to be the empty space. As people train for marathons, they take incremental steps up to their goal until they can fully succeed. Similarly, growing in our faith takes one step at a time, not the entire journey. If you are working on feeding spiritually by reading the word of God, reading for ten minutes a day for a month is far more beneficial than reading for one hour for two days and then giving up. Whatever your next step, be bold and take it without comparing it to others. Our goals should be big and audacious, but they should also be achievable. 

Train With Friends 

Healthy competition and accountability is a valuable part of training. Everyone needs a training partner to push one another to be their best. Similarly, God intended no one to go through spiritual growth independently. When we go with others, we share our spiritual life together as each of us challenges one another. We need someone who pushes us towards the next step in faith and someone who celebrates the victories with us. As a community, we share victories and lend strength to one another, as we all need from time to time. 

Overflow may not happen overnight, but we can make intentional daily steps towards a life of the Spirit moving in and through us, with one drop at a time. Just as no one exercises one time and expects any significant change, we also cannot binge our relationship with Jesus Christ. From the moment we submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through the rest of eternity, we grow in our relationship with God. The good news is that God goes with us every step of the way, at every drop in the bucket.