Imagine trying to surf on a pond – paddling hard, kicking, and jumping up on the board to balance. You could do all of that, but you wouldn’t be surfing, would you? To surf, you need an external force; a power outside of yourself to propel you forward. And yet, if you went to the ocean where there is wave after wave, and you just laid there on the board, would you end up surfing? Of course not! Surfing requires giving maximum effort and trusting in the power of the wave to move you forward.

And so it is with our spiritual growth. Paul said, “Work out your own salvation…. For it is God who is working in you” (2:12–13). So, which is it: you or God? The answer is both. Pastor and author Alistair Begg said, “The grace of God does not relieve me of my responsibility to be obedient; the grace of God makes possible my obedience.” Make every effort to obey God this week, and trust that He is at work in you to make your obedience possible.

• Where do you need to put forth more effort in order to be who God wants you to be?