8.3 How Do I Grow in My Faith?

Here we are, at the end of our journey, the final part of our final episode. Usually, at the end of the series, there's this tantalising cliffhanger or an outrageous plot twist but unlike your favourite show, we're not actually in the entertainment business and we're not after your money. This is like our final appeal, no exploding buildings or epic fight scene. For budget reasons, it's us and our van. A life of faith is just as exciting but in a different way. It's not like some movie hype that's here today and gone tomorrow. Real faith impacts every day and that's what makes it so powerful. Just like the specialised Brazilian mechanics who built this vintage van, our faith was built to last a lifetime but to do that takes a little bit of love and attention. Just like any good relationship, our faith takes constant work, effort, and energy. The apostle Paul encourages us to 'continually work out our faith' (Philippians 2:12) with our loving and heavenly Father. But rather than it being some kind of chore, it's the things that I work out most like playing guitar, music producing, or my relationships that bring me the most joy in life. Our faith was made to be the same. I also love the way that Jesus is quietly tinkering away at our lives to help make us more like him every day. He knows there are certain things that have got jammed deep down in our hearts that don't belong there and just like any restoration project that means gentle care over time to help find and remove or in our case to let go of certain things that have held us back from who we're meant to be. If I had continued down my dark path, I would have never experienced the true joy that I have today. And when I think about it, Jesus working in my life has made me a completely different person and I'm so grateful that he's promised to see this restoration through. We spent the last eight episodes telling you all about our journey, our story, our origins. You've seen all of our trials, all of our challenges, our failures, and our turning points, but we've also shown you how our relationship with God has become the foundation of our lives. The origins of faith for most people aren't necessarily these big and dramatic moments. But a series of small steps or yeses that over a long period of time become this amazing and extraordinary adventure that Jesus leads us on. When I first said yes to Jesus, I didn't know where it would take me and there have been some challenging up and downs but look where he's brought me. He's literally taken me around the whole world. So this is not the end, this is just the beginning. It's your beginning, it's your journey, and every adventure starts with a first step, no matter how small. Where could your relationship with Jesus take you? what impact could you have on the earth with him? Who's lives could be changed? Whether you're ready to say yes to God or not, we encourage you to not let this experience be the end, but to continue exploring. Life is an adventure! And we believe that the greatest adventure of all is with Jesus.