The Journey is the Destination

I don’t really know how it started, but there’s this movie trope that has become a meme. Maybe the _____ is the friends we made along the way. 

Maybe you’ve seen this before. I do think that it’s important that we recognize that there’s purpose in the journey.

Sometimes we get confused and think that being a Christian is a one-time thing. Now it is true that salvation is instantaneous. That we did not earn our salvation. It’s placed on us by Jesus, and at the moment we give him our life, we are saved.

It is also true that following Jesus authentically is something that happens over time. 

As we have been looking together at what an authentic faith is all about, we need to understand that a true life of authentic faith will not happen in an instant. The journey of Christianity is not a microwaveable transformation. 

The apostle Paul told the church at Philip to work out their salvation. He was not telling them to work toward their salvation that they needed to earn their salvation. He was telling them to continue in the process of sanctification.  

Sanctification is the act or process of making something holy, pure, or set apart for a sacred purpose. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel like I’m growing in my faith. Sometimes I wonder if I’m still on the right path? How do I know that my faith is authentic and that I am growing in it? Simply put, the journey of authentic faith is lived out when we say yes to God over time. Living, relying on him. 

So here’s the test to know if we’re on the journey: 

First, we need to be people who get “shots up”. If you wanted to get better as a basketball player, I would tell you to go to the gym and shoot the basketball, or get shots up.  If you wanted to get better as a performer, I would tell you to practice lines and get on stage as much as possible. 

“Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” - Philippians 2:12 CSB

Repeated obedience is powerful. It’s important that we recognize that an authentic faith is on us to pursue. That we are all responsible for our own spiritual growth. 

The weight to grow in our faith is to practice obedience. Are you walking in obedience to God? Do you prioritize the things of God, his word, time in prayer, serving others, being in his house? 

This is not to preach at you, but to encourage you. For some of us, we need to be challenged to be more obedient to God. For others of us, I want you to recognize that you are doing all that you should. Maybe you just don’t see how much you’re growing.

A few weeks ago, I walked into church on a Sunday morning and saw our worship pastor, Blake. The first thing out of my mouth was, “Blake, you have gotten taller.” 

Now, Blake did not necessarily know that or recognize that he had gotten taller. This is the case in many of our lives that we don’t always recognize that we are growing. 

So I want to encourage you to keep getting shots up. By that, I mean to keep practicing obedience and keep prioritizing the things of God. You are growing more than you realize.

The second thing in this test to know that our faith is authentic and we are on the journey is that we show up. 

“For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.” - Philippians 2:13 CSB 

Now help me out, all you Bible scholars. Verse 13 tells us who does the work. It’s not us. While it is our job to show up and be obedient to God, it is God who does the work of growing us. 

Through his spirit, God will grow our faith and grow us into full maturity. He will give us the gift of an authentic walk with him.  

There are two things that we need for us to become all that God has for us to be and to live a life of authentic faith. Those two things are surrender and time. 

We walk and live in surrender, willing to follow God to do as God has called us to do. We let go of our own plan in our own will and trust Him fully.

Then we wait; authentic faith is not formed overnight. We trust God and follow Him, and we watch as His plan unfolds in us around us and through us.