If you’ve ever learned a skill, you know that it takes effort. If you’ve ever tried to change a pattern of behavior, you know that it takes effort. So why, when it comes to our spiritual walk, do we often stop at the threshold of grace, hoping for things to change, longing to be more like Jesus, but don’t begin to put in near the effort as we do in other life endeavors? Grace is opposed to earning, but not to effort. We are called to “exercise towards godliness.” That means we are not finished yet, we are not complete. There is still some assembly required.