Now Do It Again
By Anthony Casperson
3-29-25

When I interact with the role-playing video games that I play, my tendency is to look at the various missions in my questlog as a checklist to complete. I prioritize sidequests mostly because I’d like to be as leveled as possible for the main quest. But I also do this because of the tendency for certain side missions to disappear if you progress the main quest to a certain point.

My typical perspective is to look at the list of quests and then decide which one to pursue until it’s complete. And once it’s done, the name of the quest gets a checkmark next to it. Mission accomplished. Goal achieved. On to the next, never to be thought of again.

But in a recent game that I’ve played, something strange happened with a quest when I completed it. (Well actually, it happened with multiple quests, but it was the first that surprised me.) I did everything that the quest asked of me—almost immediately after it was given to me to do—and then the game basically said, “Good job on completing the side mission. Now go do it again.”

I sat there stunned. “What do you mean that there’s no checkmark? Are you telling me that I did what you asked, and now I still have to do it again? And if I do as you ask for a second time, it’ll still not have a checkmark after it? I’ll have several unchecked quests for the rest of the game? Things that I’m supposed to do over and over again while I go about the other actions of the game?”

It broke my mind enough that I had to search the internet to make sure this wasn’t just a quest with multiple steps before it was finally checked. And sat there for a few more minutes, in awe of the fact that this is how the quest was designed. There would be a few unchecked quests in the game.

My expectation was that I’d done it once, so now I’m good. But that’s not what this part of the game was about. These quests give you incentive to continue with the game’s mechanics while playing the rest of the game. To continue interacting with these aspects of the game even after having proven mastery of them.

Around the same time that I discovered this quest design, I was also reminded of how certain aspects of life—especially life as a follower of Jesus—catch us in this same type of surprise.

For some people, the whole idea of needing to pursue holiness is like this. They had the false understanding that once they said a single prayer, after their eternal life was secured, then they were good to do whatever they wanted in this life. Maybe just add a little bit of church-going and “Thank you, Jesus” to what they were already doing. But little else.

On the other side of the equation—the one to which I’m more likely to err—some of us think about doing all of the right things so that we can get the gold star or checkmark next to our name for doing that one thing. As if there were such a thing as a humility badge to apply to our spiritual merit sash.

But the truth is that godliness isn’t about checkmarks, gold stars, or merit badges. We don’t get to say “quest complete” just because we’ve done the godly thing once. Quite a number of the godly actions in our spiritual lives are meant to be repeated over and over again as we go about the rest of our lives.

It was during my morning devotions in the book of Micah where I was reminded of this. In Micah 6:6-7, we see a representative of the Israelite people ask God what the quest log says needs to be done in order to have a checkmark next to their godliness. Do they need to have the perfect burnt offering? The most expensive version of it, which would be a calf? Or perhaps instead, thousands of rams? Or could it be a river of oil that flows from tens of thousands of vessels? Or maybe their firstborn child to pay for their own sin? The fruit of their body for the sins of their life?

The question is about how big of a mission the questlog has for them to do. How much of an investment is needed for this quest? What do I have to do in order to finally reach the level of godliness that’ll make God happy?

In the next verse, God gives an answer. But far too many of God’s people miss the point of the answer. We see this small list but still understand it to have checkboxes next to each of the three items. An outline of a star to be filled in once we’ve done it. An empty space for our soon-to-be-earned merit badge.

When God says that he requires nothing of us but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God, he’s not giving us a list of quest actions that will help us achieve a completed mission for godliness.

Instead, he’s showing us the kind of life we should live as representatives of him on this earth. Things that we should do over and over again, because they’re part of the mechanics he has for us in this life. Part of his design for the universe.

We should do justice. Act in line with God’s commandments. And yes, “commandments” is the Hebrew word translated as “justice” here, not some nebulous sense of what brings about good vibes to the world. He calls us to do the things that he calls good, as he ahs shown us through his revealed word.

Secondly, we should love kindness. Love faithfulness to God’s covenant. This is the lovingkindness/faithfulness/mercy word that’s difficult to translate into English. But it’s the faithfulness that God has to his covenant people that should be our guide here. The faithfulness that continues to offer forgiveness and grace again and again, even to people who repeatedly reject him.

And we should walk humbly with our God. Live our lives with care about our actions. “Circumspectly” is the best word to use here. In everything that we do, we should keep in mind the holiness of our God and our representation of him on this planet. Seek to never do anything that besmirches or brings shame upon his name.

Another way of putting all of this is that we should bring God’s good justice to all around us, be faithful like God is to us, and live as the representative of God that we are.

But the most important thing about these words from God is that they’re not a checklist. It’s not a quest that’ll ever actually be complete. It’s a way of life that we followers of Jesus should live. Something that we should do again and again and again.

He has told us what is good. And what he seeks for us to do. Now, let’s do it. And do it again. And again. As we go about the rest of our lives.