Not the Act…It's the Action
- AJ SADLER
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. - Luke 10:20
Jesus sent out the seventy-two, and they came back ecstatic. “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!” Think about that for a moment. Demons fled. People were healed. Lives were transformed. If anyone had a reason to celebrate what had just happened, it was them.
Yet Jesus immediately redirected their attention. “Don't rejoice because the spirits obey you. Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” That's one of the greatest perspective shifts in all of Scripture.
Somewhere along the way we've become fascinated with the act while forgetting the action. We celebrate David killing Goliath, but overlook the years he spent faithfully tending sheep when nobody knew his name. We celebrate Noah surviving the flood, but forget the decades he spent building an ark before a single drop of rain ever fell. We celebrate Peter walking on water, yet the greatest miracle wasn't that Peter walked-it was that Peter trusted Jesus enough to step out of the boat.
The action always comes before the act. The miracle is simply the fruit of faith. The action is the faith.
Today we've started measuring Christianity by outcomes. How many people got saved? How many views did the sermon receive? How many followers did the ministry gain? How many miracles happened? Jesus measures something completely different: Were you faithful? Did you trust Me? Did you obey Me? Faithfulness exists long before fruit does. Anyone can celebrate after the miracle. Faith celebrates before it ever sees one.
Abraham's greatest act wasn't becoming the father of many nations; it was believing God before he ever held Isaac. Noah's greatest accomplishment wasn't surviving the flood; it was swinging a hammer every day while people laughed at him. Peter's greatest lesson wasn't that he walked on water; it was that he was willing to leave the safety of the boat. The outcome is what people remember, but the obedience is what God rewards.
We've become so focused on what faith produces that we've forgotten faith itself is the victory. The action is the growth. The act is simply the evidence that growth has taken place. Your greatest testimony may never be the miracle everyone applauds. It may be the quiet decision to trust Christ again tomorrow, even if no one ever sees the outcome. That's the life God is building.
Here's the blunt truth: Stop chasing the outcome. God is growing your obedience.
Not the Act…It's the Action
Am I more focused on what God does through me than what He's doing in me?
If I never saw the outcome of my obedience, would I still choose to walk by faith tomorrow?
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