Sunday Seed Thoughts: #2500

WordPress tells me that today’s post is a major milestone. It’s #2500. Somehow it seems fitting that it fell on a Sunday.

We began ThePreachersWord on January 1, 2012, at ground zero. With no readers and no idea of writing 2500 posts, let alone its far-reaching impact. Today we have thousands of followers all across the United States and all around the world in over 200 countries and territories.

In our travels, in the past 2 ½ years, it has been somewhat surprising and certainly encouraging to meet readers in almost every church we’ve visited. Recently, someone said they were using posts from a series we wrote between 2012-2015 called “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming” for their Lord’s Supper talks. By the way, those posts and 179 topics can be easily accessed in our category column.

Reflecting on this milestone reminds me that writing 2500 posts is a lot like discipleship.

Discipleship is a process, not an event. Just like writing these posts has required time and effort, so is growing as a Christian. You don’t write 2500 posts all at once. And you don’t “grow in the grace of knowledge of Jesus Christ” (2Pet. 3:18) overnight. This ministry is like the old adage that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. How do you write 2,500 posts? One at a time. Just like faithful Christian living is one day at a time.

Discipleship requires persistence and perseverance. Dee Bowman calls it stick-to-itiveness. Any endeavor worthwhile demands dedication, determination, and discipline. I once heard someone quip that life is a lot like milking cows–it’s so daily. That’s been true of writing this blog. And it’s true of Christian living. Thus, we’re called to be “steadfast and immovable” (1 Cor. 15:58). “To continue in the faith established and firm” (Col. 1:23). And to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

Discipleship is an imperfect humble walk with God. I make mistakes. In my relationships. In my personal life. In my Christian walk. And, my readers know that I make plenty of mistakes in writing. I do proof these posts. But I’m not very good at it. Norma Jean usually proofs them. But she sometimes misses something. Fortunately, I have some good friends to let me know about any error that needs correcting.

It’s a reminder that Christians are not perfect, but we’re pardoned. From time to time we all miss the mark. Indeed, “all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” (Rom. 3:23). If I quit writing because of a grammatical error, a misspelled word, or a misplaced comma, there would only be 1 post, not 2500. Likewise, our discipleship doesn’t demand perfection, but commitment, constancy, and continuity.

Lord willing, tomorrow will be post #2501. Hopefully, there’s more gas in the tank and miles to cover. But we shall see.

Thanks so much to our regular readers and loyal followers, without whom we’d never reached #2500. I always appreciate your kind and encouraging words. Finally, whatever good that’s achieved through this little blog, we thank God. Unto Him be the glory.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman