Spiritual Growth

I often wonder if we get things confused sometimes about who really is at work when it comes to growing as a follower of Christ. I think we often have the idea that if we do something, then God will do something. In other words, because we read our Bibles, we'll grow or if we pray, we'll grow. But is it really left to us to grow spiritually on our own? Philippians 2:12 says "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," as if it's left to us to somehow grow and mature spiritually. It is true that we need to be people of the Book, God's Word, and seek to let it permeate our hearts and minds. And we need to talk daily with God through prayer. He uses those things as a means to grow us and to reveal more of himself to us. But the next verse in Philippians 2:13 also says, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."
In other words, apart from God working in us and moving in us and shaping our lives, we wouldn't even have the desire for maturity, much less a spiritual hunger for the things of God. God does his work in us to create the desire to want to know him. He initiates and then we follow. He does his work so that we that we can then work. He works and we work, in that order. So today, thank God that he is so gracious to work in you and me so that we can grow in him to be the person he wants us to be! It's really all about him! And then, as a good soldier, discipline yourself for battle. As an athlete trains to be the best, train yourself to be all that God wants you to be. Work hard, sweat, be disciplined, stay at it and watch as God works in you to make you conformed to the image of His Son.