Jesus: "The Author and Perfecter of Our Faith"

I have been thinking this week about Kansas Bob's recent comment about faith being lived in the heart and not the head. I have been really struggling lately with fear and discouragement. As I pondered Kansas Bob's words in my heart, this passage was brought to my mind:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

It appears that Paul was able to stay focused on his journey of faith by refusing to live in the past. He could have easily allowed himself to become discouraged, had he focused on his past failures and missed opportunities. Instead, however; he chose to focus on Jesus Christ, realizing, as Kansas Bob pointed out, that faith is lived in the heart and not the head. It is a gift from God. Hebrews 12:2 affirms that it is Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Therefore, faith is not something we can manufacture on our own. This truth should be extremely encouraging to those of us who are all too aware of the depth of our own shortcomings.

I am convinced that fear is the main reason so many people (myself included) appear to reach a stalemate in their Christian walk. What limits us from doing the things we believe God may be calling us to do? Why do we sometimes fall away? Is it a fear of failure, or anxiety about the future because of mistakes we have made in the past? When we allow these things to take up residence in our minds it is a indication that we have taken our eyes off of Jesus. This is dangerous thing to do. Just imagine what would have happened to Peter if Jesus had not been there to rescue him when he took his eyes of Jesus and began to drown when he was walking out on the water to meet him!

While, we may be inclined to conclude from some biblical passages that faith is something we do, we must realize it is not something we do apart from Christ. Jesus affirms this is John 15:5, saying:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

We get in trouble when we forget this basic truth.