The Reward of Effort

There is no better way to begin this blog than by addressing something many of us struggle with in one way or another. Every one of us has at least one thing in life to which we don’t give the time and attention it deserves. On the other hand, we all have at least one thing to which we give a considerable amount of our time and attention.

I encourage you to ask yourself two questions:

What is something in my life to which I give very little effort?

What is something in my life to which I give a great deal of effort?

Before we answer these two questions, however, we need to understand what “effort” truly means. According to the dictionary, effort is defined as “a vigorous or determined attempt.”

So, what in your life receives your vigorous and determined attention? What do you make a vigorous and determined attempt to pursue, accomplish, maintain, or experience?

Now, with regard to the first question—what is the primary thing in your life to which you give a great deal of effort—was your answer God? Likely not.

And if I were reading this, my answer probably wouldn’t be God either. Doesn’t that make me a terrible Pastor? Perhaps, but it’s the brutal human truth and anyone that would say otherwise is likely a fraud. Isaiah 53:6 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.…” That includes your pastor.

Now let’s consider the second question. What is something in your life to which you give very little effort? Was your answer God?

Likely, that wasn’t the first thing that came to mind either.

For most, if not all, of us, God ultimately plays a far less significant role in our daily lives than He needs to. All too often, we have to think about how much effort we are willing to give to reading the Bible, whether or not we will attend church, participate in a Bible study, pray, or simply spend time with God.

Consider just a few examples.

How much time do you spend watching television?

How much time do you spend sitting around bored?

How much time do you spend feeling as though you constantly have to be busy?

How much time do you spend worrying, complaining, angry, gossiping, or engaging in things that accomplish nothing—and worse still, have a negative impact on your life?

How much effort do you put into remembering the names of actors and actresses, along with the lines from their TV shows and movies? Do you put that same effort and enthusiasm into telling others about what you have discovered in God’s Word and the words you remember from what He has told you?

How much effort do you invest in following your favorite sports teams and players—learning their stats, knowing their schedules, and making sure you are in front of the television or at the stadium early so you don’t miss a thing? Is this the same way you view being at church on Sunday?

How much effort do you put into planning your vacations, making sure everything is just “perfect,” and ensuring you don’t miss a single thing along the way?

Does that same excitement and passion extend to your relationship with God, so that you don’t miss anything He has waiting for you?

Consider this:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1Peter 1 5-7

Is that encouraging? Can you imagine reaping the rewards of exercising this kind of effort in our lives? This is where each of us needs to be—intentionally putting forth this kind of effort, and for good reason. God gives us this promise:

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

How is that for a promise? These qualities are what distinguish the believer as uniquely different and reflect exactly who God expects each of us to be—individuals who are continually developing and exhibiting these qualities in our lives.