Good morning! Throughout the course of my career at my current job, there have been many things that I have done because I had to. Some things did not make sense to me and other things I just did not want to do. The bottom line is that those things always got done because I did not want to lose my job.
Now, in a management role, there is constant evaluation that takes place to determine whether the issue with an underperforming employee is a matter of will or skill. A person who is struggling with a certain skill can be trained and cultivated to perform at the appropriate level. On the other hand, there is no amount of training or cultivating to help someone who does not have the will to do the work in the correct way.
There is a big difference when someone completes a specific task just because they have to, compared to when they do something because they want to. For instance, when we took a family vacation to Williamsburg, VA last year, no one had to force me to go on the water rides at Water Country USA – they were so much fun! But it was a much different story at Busch Gardens with the crazy roller coasters! Thankfully, Mer is not a big fan of roller coasters and Josh is just beginning to build up enough bravery to get on them, so we didn’t do too many!
It’s not that I can’t go on the more intense roller coasters, it’s just that they are not as fun to me as they were when I was younger. But this principle extends beyond the things that are meant to bring us entertainment, it reveals itself in the things that are beneficial to us.
The most important thing we could ever do is respond to the love of God by living a sacrificial life to honor Him! But, this too, we may find ourselves struggling in one of the following ways:
- Struggling to accept God’s love – Maybe you don’t know how God could ever forgive you for the things that you have done.
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
- Struggling with temptation – Maybe you want to grow in God’s love, but at every turn you find yourself slipping back into the same old temptations. You can’t seem to find the way forward.
- “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Struggling to stay consistent – Maybe you feel disconnected from God and are finding it difficult to spend time with Him daily to ensure that you are being TRANSFORMED. You started out strong, but the passion for God has decreased because you are not seeing results.
- “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
- Struggling to grow – Maybe you want to grow in your relationship with God, but no one has ever truly taught you how to follow Jesus. Just like when someone has to be taught when they want to learn a new skill, we all need to be taught how to follow Jesus! How to study the Bible and understanding how to apply it to our lives is not always straight forward. When Jesus called His first disciples, He told them He would make them fishers of men. They were taught by Jesus Himself, what it meant to follow Him!
- “Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
God’s Word has THE answer for everything that we could ever struggle with. God is looking for people who are willing to follow Him – He will do the rest!
If you currently find yourself struggling to grow in any area of your relationship with God… first, ask yourself if it is a will issue or a skill issue.
If it is a will issue, ask God to change your heart towards Him – ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a new way to ignite (or re-ignite) the passion in your heart for Him!
If it is a skill issue, find a person close to you that is mature in their faith and ask them to teach you how to follow Jesus! They will be delighted to be a part of your growth in God!
And if you are reading this right now and are someone who is consistently growing in your relationship with God and allowing His Word to shape your life, find someone close to you that is struggling and come beside them to help them move forward!
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your kindness that leads us to repentance. Thank You for providing all of the answers to all of our struggles and the people to help us through! Help us to rely first and foremost on the Holy Spirit, but to also rely on each other to continue growing so that we can BE TRANSFORMED more into Your likeness – day by day, one step at a time! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 