author of faith...

An accomplished author creates a story that the readers follow. From the first word on the first page the story is directed one keystroke at a time. This is the way it goes. Page after page, chapter after chapter. There are pivots, turns, highs, and lows. Every story has a beginning and an ending.

The book of John starts with quite a picture: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 KJV).” The Word was there in the beginning with God (John 1: 2 KJV). God and the Word were one and dwelt together.

Can you imagine the beginning of things, or at least the beginning of things where God decides to reveal Himself. At the first spoken moment, creation began. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life (John 1: 3-4a KJV)...” Life was made in the beginning. You were created in the beginning.

When He stepped out to create, He did all of His creation in that moment or moments. He chose time as a way of revealing His creation.

Have you ever attended a play? They can be fun, entertaining, twisted, and dramatic. If you know people who perform in them, they have an even greater meaning. But that play has a known run time. It has acts, scenes, parts, sets, and characters. Each and every one of them were there from the beginning. But it takes the play to start and carry out to reveal the wonders of the design and story. In heaven there is a cloud of witnesses that watches the revealing of God’s story (Hebrews 12: 1 KJV).

Make no mistake, you are a key character that He has written on, about, and with. He has invested in you a wonderful piece of his main theme. You are valued more than you know. Jesus is the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12: 2 KJV). What He has started He will finish.

Guard against any setbacks or divisive vibe that can come in and destroy the good work that He has started. “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled (Hebrews 12: 15 KJV)...” Trust in the One who was seated there in the beginning of things. Let Him do His good will.

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Look unto the Author of your faith (Hebrews 12: 2 KJV). It's there where the eyes should be and not on the people of this world. David once escaped the king of Gath by acting crazy! He was fleeing Saul and had just retained the sword of Goliath that was being kept by Ahimelech. But where were his eyes? Where was he looking? Check out I Samuel 21.

Where your eyes set that is where you perceive your deliverance to come from. What you look to for help, assistance, or delivery. What your heart call out to in times of peril, that is the place where your eyes are set.

Back in the day, I used to listen to some old Celtic worship... One of the songs went like this, “turn your eyes upon Jesus, look upon His glorious Face, then the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glorious Face.” Yes, the focus of our heart is where we turn too. It may take some practice for us to realign, but we must make the effort.

In the Psalms, we gather some good insight into David’s heart, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come: my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121: 1-2 ESV).” David would learn from his mistakes. When his eyes of deliverance weren’t set on the Lord, he would go mad! But when his eyes were upon the Lord he would be free!

Today, take time to set your gaze upon the Lord. May He always draw you back if you turn to the side. That is my prayer. I hope the same for you.

Godspeed, The JourneyMan

Ps. Today’s story could have come in 2 parts, but they would’ve overlapped too much. So I joined them in hopes of a better read. God bless you all!

I Samuel 21:13 ESV “So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in the their hands and made marks of the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.”

Psalm 121: 1-2 ESV “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

John 1: 1 KJV “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1: 2 KJV “The same was in the beginning with God.”

John 1: 3 KJV “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1: 4 KJV “In him was life: and the life was the light of men.”

Hebrews 12: 1 KJV “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12: 2 KJV “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12: 15 KJV “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled...”