Christian formation is impossible apart from Christian faith. It’s faith that leads us toward formation to begin with, and it’s faith that keeps us on the path….Even when everything in us wants to quit and settle for less. We press on, in faith, by faith, and for faith.
“I don’t see any change taking place.”
“What’s the point of all this praying?”
“I don’t seem to be getting much out of my meditation on God’s Word.”
“These people at church don’t appreciate the way I’m serving, so I wonder if I should just hang it up and be done with this ministry.”
Walk long enough with believers who are seeking the Lord through prayer, Bible reading, and service in the church, and you’ll hear comments like this. Words of weariness. Fragments of discouragement. Maybe you’re there right now—demoralized by division in your church, disillusioned by unanswered prayers, disinclined to open God’s Word when carving out time already feels impossible.
What will keep you praying in circumstances like this? What will keep you going to God’s Word? What will keep you in the church?
Faith in the Future Reward
The common response is to focus on how these practices are good for us, or good for others, whether we recognize their goodness and effectiveness or not. But I believe there’s a missing element that can boost our motivation. It’s faith. More specifically, it’s faith in the reward that God promises on the other side of our enduring a personal cost.
It’s trusting God for the reward—believing that even when it’s delayed, even when its effects remain hidden, he is still at work. What will keep you dedicated to showing sacrificial love in a broken world, what will keep you in the game playing your heart out, doing the hard work of pursuing holiness, loving the unlovable, and serving when it doesn’t come easily is faith in God’s future promise.
Kyle Worley’s new book Formed for Fellowship offers a great example of how keeping the goal and reward of Christian formation at the forefront of your heart and mind is essential for motivating you in the work when it’s tough. He writes,
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