Perhaps you know Christians, maybe even yourself, who don’t seem to be growing in their walk with the Lord. Sadly, some don’t even seem to want to grow. They lack motivation so they rarely read the Bible, pray, engage with fellow believers, etc. Yet, God’s Word encourages us to grow.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Pet. 3:18)
Though none of us will ever arrive at full spiritual maturity in this life and we will err along the way, we should at least “want to” grow. Read Philippians 3:10-14 for the Apostle Paul’s example where he says “I want to know Christ. … Not that I have already obtained all this, … but I press on … I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on …”
Questions to Ask of Ourselves and Others Lacking Motivation to Grow
1) Do we/they truly know the Lord?
We shouldn’t assume everyone who attends our church or Sunday School class is a true believer. It’s possible to talk the talk and appear to walk the walk but not have a personal relationship with the Lord. If not a true believer, then the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell within to provide the motivation and power to live the Christian life.
2) Do we/they have an adequate understanding of God’s grace?
There’s a reason 2 Peter 3:18, quoted above, says to grow in both knowledge and grace. — “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:11-12)
Don’t expect that simply knowing what to do will motivate us enough to do it, or that knowing about God will motivate us to want to know Him better. Grace is God doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves. If we don’t have a good sense of how much we need God at the root of all we do, guiding and empowering us, we’ll undoubtedly lack motivation to press on in our walk. Sensing the difficulty of striving to consistently live righteously both on the inside and outwardly, will tend to make us grow weary and give up.
What Are We Doing as a Church to Help People Want to Grow?
God designed the Body of Christ in such a way that we have a part in one another’s growth. — Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph. 4:15-16)
We’re to spur one another on and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord (Heb. 10:24-25; 1 Thess. 5:11). We dispense God’s grace, a vital component to growth, as we serve one another (1 Pet. 4:10). When we get real with one another about where we are spiritually, we can pray for and with one another in such a way that it has a healing effect (James 5:16).
While structuring programs to accomplish some of this can be helpful, we must keep the focus on people over programs. Both large and small group gatherings can be useful but it may also take one-on-one interaction in non-formal settings. Are we willing to invest into people’s lives in such a way that it affects their motivation to know the Lord?