Dallas Willard said, "Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning." That is to say that God's grace is not something we strive to earn. You can't work your way to earn God's love. Any attempt to do so is a misconceived notion. Grace opposes earning because earning doesn't need Jesus. We wouldn't need Jesus if we only had to follow some holy formula.
But grace understands our efforts. And our efforts aren't ways to influence God. Instead, we strive for the godliness God calls us to. Because of all that God has given us, 2 Peter 1 instructs us to make every effort to add to our faith. That means spiritual growth is not about earning God's love, but responding to what God has already given.
Grace allows us the room to grow, but we still have to put in the work. Even with a gym membership, you still need to show up and train. So, when Peter says to "make every effort," he means for us to set ourselves to grow in the Spirit through diligent pursuit of God's holiness.
Methodists should already understand this. That's where our name comes from. The early Methodists relied on methods to deepen their faith and to stay in line with the Spirit's work within them. They seemed to have known that if you don't actively seek to grow, you'll gradually move backward.
Finally, another reason you need to keep making the effort is that transformation doesn't happen all at once. Peter lists several qualities to add to your faith, one after the other. That seems to imply a process, not a one-time change. Every season of life needs its own effort. All that to say, your effort becomes a form of worship, saying, “God, I want to become who you already see me to be.”
Stay blessed...john | 
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