Making It Personal
Christ being the author and finisher of our faith means that faith starts through Him and is complete in Him. He is the ultimate example of faith. True, biblical, living, faith is more than belief. It is belief in action. Christ knew that the Father had a plan for Him and that his job was to be the sacrifice for all mankind. This was the only way to redeem man to Himself; therefore, it was joy to Christ. His perfect faith allowed Christ to endure and complete the work of that the Father had sent Him to do.
What does God want you to do? What is the next step in your life? One of the many wonderful things about faith and God is that He allows us to grow and He allows us to grow gradually. God will not ask you to accomplish something that is out of your faith zone. However, He does not want you to stay where you are either. Our calling is not to a life of ease and rest. True rest will only come in the will of our Father.
Our faith is grown through knowledge of Him. The word knowledge means discernment. This is the ability to put into practice that which we know. What we know as absolute truth only comes from God’s Word. We must be in God’s Word to grow our faith. You cannot have growth apart the Word. So, what are you putting in today to grow you faith tomorrow? What you do or do not do today affects your tomorrow and the tomorrow of those around you. What affect will you have tomorrow?
Achan’s sin teaches us that our sin affects those around us. His family and all his possessions were stoned after he disobeyed and stole a few little things. When we sin, those around us are affected even to the third and fourth generations.
Thankfully, our faith also affects those around us. The last couple of verses tell us that it was not only credited to Abraham but also to us whom believe. Earlier in Romans, we are told that the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Faith passes down faith. So, what are you passing down? Are you passing a life of faith and blessing or are you passing a life of heartache and death? The choice is ours to make and live. Time is too short and too much is at stake for us to choose unwisely, so choose wisely.