Mark Twain once wrote, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Overcoming inertia by taking that first action is never easy (just watch me stand up some time), but you can’t get anywhere without taking your first step in that direction.
There is an old joke about two drunks waiting for an elevator. When the doors opened the first drunk stepped in not realizing the elevator car was not there. He dropped about eight feet to the bottom of the elevator shaft then yelled up to his companion, “Watch out for that first step. It’s a doozy!” Sometimes our first step is scary, but we must carefully move forward if we want to get anywhere.
“Belief” and “faith” are often interchangeable terms for us. Even in the scriptures they often appear to be used in a similar way. Believing that something is true is one thing, but putting that belief to the test by taking action requires faith. Sometimes our first action is not just a step but a leap of faith.
A friend I met on Okinawa was a Green Beret. He parachuted on a regular basis as part of his training and he once told me with a smile, “That first step is the hardest.” He would jump out of a perfectly good airplane by faith; faith in the aerodynamic design and quality of his parachute, faith in the person who packed his chute and faith in his own ability to guide the chute to a safe landing area. No matter how many times he jumped, the leap always required his faith. However, each time he landed safely, his faith was strengthened and increased.
Isn’t that the way it is for us as believers? Our first and most important step of faith is when we believe Jesus died for our sins, confess our sins and accept His grace, mercy and eternal life. Then we take the next steps of faith; acknowledging Him before others and entering the grave and rising with Him to new life in the waters of baptism. As we begin our new life, we rely on the power of His Holy Spirit within us (Romans 8:11) to keep us walking on the path He has prepared for us (Psalms 23:3-4). Each step we take with Him requires our faith. However, with each successful step our faith is strengthened and increased.