I cannot sufficiently emphasize the importance of this one thing in spiritual development. In fact, it is so vital to such growth that it is well nigh impossible without it. What am I referring to? In a word, repetition.
It may not be that apparent in our English translations, but in the greek it is indicated many times over by virtue of a verb in the present tense. That tense calls for continual habitual action, that is, repetition.
Consider the following verses that are themselves at the heart of what spiritual progress is all about:
Galatians 6:14 — “Walk by the Spirit, and you will in no way gratify the desires of the flesh.”
The word translated “walk” is in the present tense. In other words, continually — as a matter of habit — walk by the Spirit.”
Colossians 3:1,2 — “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
In this passage the words translated “seek” and “set your minds on” are in the present tense. In other words, keep continually, habitually seeking things above, keep continually thinking about things above, do so as a matter of habit.
As you can see, these verses — and I could give you many besides — call us to an inner life characterized by repetition. If someone were able stop us at any moment on any given day and see an instant 10 second video of what’s on our minds, what would they see? The apostle Paul, and, by extension, Jesus wants them to see that we are in the throes of repeatedly processing some precious truth we are seeking to integrate into our lives. And that is to be true of us day and night.
Perhaps you’ve heard someone say of an aspiring athlete, “man, that guy lives in the weight room.” You can be sure that that young man is working those weights over and over again. In fact, a weight room is essentially useless to anyone who loathes repetition. And so it is with strength and endurance training in the Christian life. Unless we apply ourselves to relentless repetition, we will not progress, it’s as simple as that.
