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By Dr. Joe Graham

The literature on motivation tells us our motivation is made up of two components: energy and direction. When one is missing, we become confused, frustrated, and unmotivated.  This is how I feel sometimes in my Christian walk. I feel, like most believers, I have enough energy to please God, but I may not have figured out the direction part. 

When pursuing excellence in other worldly pursuits, we rely on work, persistence, and effort. Most of us learned these ideals early in life, and they produce great results when we apply them.

Since we’ve been rewarded for them, it is easy to apply them to the direction of our spiritual walk. My favorite passage of Scripture is 2 Peter 1. In verse 3, it says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” I immediately respond with a resounding, “Yes! Thank you, God, for setting me up to show excellence in my faith. I will now work hard to be a better Christian.”

But this response leads me to become frustrated with myself. “Why can’t I just do better?” I ask God. “I’m waiting on that divine intervention You promised.”

The good news is the verse continues and gives directional clarity. It says, “through our knowledge of Him who called us.” What does that mean? It means if we want to have everything we need for life and godliness, we need to understand how to know Jesus better. Peter communicates this three times in the chapter to make his point.

Are things not going well at work? It starts with knowing Jesus better. 

Is your marriage off a bit right now? It starts with knowing Jesus better. 

Are you stressed about something out of your control? It starts with knowing Jesus better. 

Whatever life brings us is an opportunity to know Jesus better. When I pour my spiritual energy toward the direction of knowing Jesus better, I trade my unhealthy understanding of pursuing excellence for clarity, peace, and motivation.

I had the privilege of playing for and coaching with the legendary ���Ĵ�ý basketball coach Jim Kessler (BS 70). One thing I learned about excellence from Coach K was to always be curious. He never told me this directly, but he modeled it daily in how he lived. I became a better coach and person by simply knowing him better.

I believe this is what Jesus wants from us. God is calling us to put away our desire to achieve spiritual excellence and to focus on knowing Jesus better in every circumstance. In the process, He promises to make us look a little more like Him every day. That’s the direction He is calling us to, and it’s the true definition of pursuing excellence.  

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