Somewhere right now, a man is running across a desert without stopping. A teenager is holding his breath longer than most of us could survive. And a chef is stacking pancakes higher than anyone thought reasonable.
Our culture is obsessed with record-breaking achievements.
This love of record breaking shapes how we watch sports. It raises the stakes, creating heroes and elevating those heroes to legendary status. Casual viewers are hooked by rapid-fire replays of record-breaking moments, and those viewers are pulled into nostalgic comparisons. Individual games are transformed into sagas and a deep longing to know who is the greatest of all time.
Beyond sports, the Guinness Book of World Records confirms our fascination. Just in 2025, new records have been set: Lalit Patidar has the hairiest face on a person with 201.72 hairs per square centimeter. Truett Hanes completed the most pull ups in 24 hours with an impressive 10,001 reps. A water buffalo named King Kong was named the tallest living of its kind at just over 6 feet tall.[1] There’s even a record holder for “holding the most records,” with that honor going to Ashrita Furman, who has set well over 600 records and still holds just over 200 to his name.[2]
Sure, we all recognize that these are ridiculous achievements, but that doesn’t lessen our fascination in the slightest.
“Our culture is obsessed with record-breaking achievements.”
The problem comes when we apply this obsession to our pursuit of Jesus. In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no Guinness Book of Eternal Records. If there were, perhaps it would read like this:
- Most arks built when the earth was flooded: Noah
- Most nations rescued when famine struck: Joseph
- Most seas split while being pursued by an angry army: Moses
- Most spies rescued by a prostitute: Rahab
- Most lions’ dens survived: Daniel
- Most psalms written that made it in the Bible: David
At first glance, Hebrews 11 might appear to be just such a list of record-breaking achievements. When we take a longer look, however, it quickly becomes evident that none of the individuals mentioned set out to be record-breakers. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) points out, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” And the second verse clarifies, “This is what the ancients were commended for.”
They were commended for their faith—not their achievements. The two-word phrase “by faith” appears 22 times, driving the point home. In the Kingdom of Heaven, God is most concerned with consistent, faithful obedience—not momentary flashes of record-breaking skill.
I recently preached a message based in Daniel 6, the familiar passage where Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den for refusing to pray to King Darius. The detail we often overlook is in verse 10 (NIV):
“When Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, just as he had done before.”
“Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, just as he had done before.”
Daniel’s victory in the lions’ den wasn’t the result of a sudden surge of bravery or a once-in-a-lifetime act of courage. It was the natural fruit of the faithful routine he had practiced for years. His predictable pattern of prayer—cultivated in quiet, daily obedience—prepared him for a moment of crisis.
There’s no indication Daniel tried to set a record for the longest prayer time, the best prayer room, or largest prayer movement. He wasn’t aiming to earn the title of “bravest man to face lions.” When things became difficult, he simply did what he had always done: he went home, knelt at his window, and prayed to his God. And when he faced a crucible of faith, his steady, routine devotion carried him through.
Preacher, take note: the influence of your ministry will not be measured in once-in-a-decade mountaintop moments but in the small, daily practices you refuse to abandon.
Our culture celebrates the flashy, but the Kingdom of Heaven celebrates the faithful. Sports fans remember the buzzer-beater, but eternity records the impact made by a Sunday School teacher who shows up for thirty years. Social media rewards the viral sensation, but the Kingdom of Heaven grows through pastors who quietly preach week after week, elders who faithfully shepherd the same families for years, and leaders who continue showing up long after the spotlight fades.
“The influence of your ministry will not be measured in once-in-a-decade mountaintop moments but in the small, daily practices you refuse to abandon.”
One big mission trip will never outweigh a lifetime of loving your next-door neighbors. One massive check will never compare to a lifetime of steady generosity. One applauded sermon will never matter as much as years of discipling a handful of teenagers. Faithful leaders understand that it’s never been about spectacular records. God values steady obedience that produces lasting discipleship.
So, what does routine faithfulness look like for leaders?
- Your congregation doesn’t just need a leader who prays at board meetings. They need one who prays in private, grounding decisions in God’s Word before they ever make it into the pulpit.
- Your church doesn’t need flashy updates. They need faithful check-ins, month after month. Visiting the same widows week after week is rarely glamorous, but it’s deeply formative.
- Your people don’t need an annual revival. They need consistent one-on-one mentoring and investment. The long road of teaching, correcting, encouraging, and modeling faithfulness matters most.
- Your community doesn’t need a clever brand or catchy church sign. They need repeated, faithful reminders of the mission God has given you. They need you to consistently love, care for, and serve the city in which you live.
When you feel pressure to deliver the record-breaking moments—the biggest Easter attendance, the most baptisms in a year, the largest capital campaign—remember that those things were never the goal. Legacies are actually built in the routines that no one applauds this side of heaven.
“Legacies are actually built in the routines that no one applauds this side of heaven.”
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV), “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” In 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NIV), he added, “You know how we lived among you for your sake.” Keep showing up. Lead with consistency. Refuse to grow weary in the overlooked routines of discipleship. Over time, they will produce fruit that no world record could ever rival.
Somewhere today, someone will set another record. Tomorrow, someone else will break it. It’s inevitable. But the legacy of leaders who pray consistently, teach faithfully, shepherd patiently, and disciple intentionally will outlast every human record book.
World records are temporary. Ministry faithfulness is eternal.
[1] Vassiliki Bakogianni, “Record-Breaking Best of 2025 (So Far): Wild Body Feats, Iconic Doogs and More,” Guinness World Records, June 30, 2025, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2025/6/record-breaking-best-of-2025-so-far-wild-body-feats-iconic-dogs-and-more.
[2] “Ashrita Furman,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashrita_Furman.
