Jesus: the Author and Finisher of Our Faith

Hebrews 12:1-2
Oh, God, help me fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, has sat down at the right hand of your throne, O God.
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Who is your favorite author?  I have several who God has used in my life and several who take me to places or times I wish I could go.

When I was younger, reading was very difficult for me.  It was not something I looked forward to doing.  Through a lot of tutoring and perseverance, I learned to read.  It was then that books and reading became a joy to me.  Books and authors take us on journeys, some suspenseful, some romantic, some scary, some adventuresome, and some historical.
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But no matter what book we read or aspire to, there is NO book like God’s Book, His living Word to us (the Bible), NO author like the author of God’s Book, the Holy Spirit.  God’s Book gives us everything we need to live this side of heaven, and I mean everything.There is nothing we go through here on earth that we can’t find help and hope for in God’s Word.  Each text of our life stories is uniquely different, because God has created each of us uniquely different.
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Some of us are in the first chapters of our life book, and others are edging close to the “happily ever after.”  Some of the chapters of our text are filled with joy and laughter, while others are about hardships, struggles, and even sorrow.

In Acts 9:1-9 we find the text or story of a man named Saul.  The title of his book was “Persecutor of Christians.”  The beginning text of his story was full of murder, hate, self-righteousness, and self-centeredness.

Wow!  Interesting man!  Maybe I need to read this story again; it sounds intriguing!

Saul was living his life by doing his own thing in his own way and in his own time when God decided to get his attention.  He sent Saul crashing to the ground with a blazing light surrounding him.  He took his sight away, which caused him to be dependent on others.  He received a big wake up call from God!  God had Saul’s attention!  God was going to do a re-write of Saul’s text.

A period of intense adversity resulted in a complete turnaround for Saul. God was teaching Saul that his eyes were fixed in the wrong places.  God was about to change his sight forever.  God was re-titling Saul’s text to “Paul – Disciple of the Way.”

Dr. Stanley puts it this way, “Paul’s adversity was a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.  Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.”  Saul had to lose his sight in order to see again.  See what?  Jesus!  Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith means to securely and inflexibly fasten our gaze on Jesus.

The re-write of Paul’s life became a story of redemption, of sight restored, and a life changed forever.  Paul closes his life story with these verses!

2 Timothy 4:6-8 – For I am already being poured out (every last drop) as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but to all who have loved His appearing.

When Jesus writes the text of our lives, there are no mistakes.  He takes and uses every re-write every chapter, every conflict, every struggle for His glory!

Not our glory, but His.  Remember the first line in our devotional – Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  In order to know the “happily ever after” we have to keep living the text –
WITH OUR EYES FIXED ON OUR AUTHOR, JESUS.

Questions to ponder:
What would be the title of your life book?
Where or what are your eyes fixed on?
Who is writing the text of your life story, you or God?
Are you resting in the assurance of knowing the One who gives us the “happily ever after?”
 
Love and prayers,
Kathy