what should most of growth be focused on?
Love.
If we look at the restoration of Peter we can see this.
John 21:15-17
Jesus Restores Peter
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
The first two times Jesus asks he uses the word AGAPE for love.
Both times Peter responds with Phileo.
The third time Jesus asks he uses Phileo and Peter gets upset and responds with Phileo.
Yet each time Jesus still says "Feed my sheep"
This is a command, not a request.
So Jesus accepts the Phileo love but he wants us to move from Phileo to Agape.
Love is the focus, when we focus on that for ourselves then everything starts to fall into place.
We love because he first he first loved.
Focus on that first love, we decrease and Jesus increases.
I wont post all the verses where Jesus uses AGAPE.
Just some references.
For God so loved the world.
By this they will know you are my disciples by your love.
God loves us as much as Jesus.
When we get this then the outworking points to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 13:13
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.