Jesus Christ, The Author and Finisher of My Faith

"Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. " Hebrews 12:2 - Amplified Version

This is the place to start - with Jesus Christ. This challenge to walk by faith, to please God, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) - must begin the Jesus Christ. 

This life is filled with distractions that compete for my attention. Since 2003 I have been a single mom, raising three amazing children. I think you might agree that this task of parenting and proving alone without a husband is a best a challenge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining so that you'll feel sorry for me. These last eleven years have taught me that God is faithful. I write this with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. God has been so good to me and my children. 

The distractions. They seem to be legit. Providing for my children has seemed to be an all consuming task. I'm in sales and, in my opinion, I'm good at it as long as I believe in the product. But after the divorce something changed in side. The pain and grief of the marriage and love that came to an end was brick wall distraction. It would have been easy to put my eyes on my pain or the seemingly insurmountable task of providing for my children. 

The distractions. My children had their own emotions to deal with after their family fell apart. How could we do this to them? Whose side should they be on? There had to be someone right and someone wrong. They were angry at me and their dad. They were angry at the rest of the world for not understanding the pain that they were in. They acted out. Each one in a different way.

Distractions and reasons to lose faith, right? This is just my story. It's not unlike many other women and children. There are other stories. What's yours? 

Here is what I can tell you about looking away from these distractions - not ignoring them in denial, but not allowing them to consume me - and instead, looking to Jesus as the source of my faith. I can tell you that we - my children and I - have successfully come through this hard time with the most amazing outcome.

During my darkest hours I reminded myself of all the times that Jesus had rescued me. I reminded myself that my oldest son, who almost died at birth because of a hole in his lung, was miraculously healed and came home from the hospital 8 days after he was born. This month my son who almost died will be 21 years old. I reminded myself of the many times that Jesus provided financial miracles to pay the rent, the utilities, buy food and clothes. 

I made a conscious choice to take my eyes off of the distractions and put my the eyes of my inner person on the facts of how big and mighty the God that I serve - this God who promised "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]" (Hebrews 13:5). 

My life is not without distractions even now, but I see a beautiful outcome. My children are young adults. They are strong and kind because of all that they came through. They've learned compassion for others that are struggling. They've learned that God never left us. Whenever they face a challenge they come to me and ask me to agree with them in prayer.  (Matthew 18:19–20)

This week I am starting a new Bible Study by Marilyn Hickey called, "Seeing Jesus: Bible Encounter Study Guide". This study takes the student through all the books of the Bible to find references, symbols, and prophesies of Jesus Christ, our redeemer - The Author and Finisher of My Faith. 

What distractions are competing for your attention? What will you choose to do to cause you to "fix your attention" on Jesus Christ?

Walk by faith my dear friend. You will not be disappointed!

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30 Meditations on Jesus - eBook By Marilyn Hickey / Whitaker House

Prayer x Intimacy with God = Revival

Photo credit: Gainesville First United Methodist Church

Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13, Amplified

Boldness and unfettered eloquence. It was obvious to the audience that Peter and John were just common men. They did not bear any of the outward signs associated with success or position in society, and yet they spoke with boldness and unfettered eloquence. This unusual characteristic was a reflection of their relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

I was raised in churches were people in the pew were powerless. Powerless to withstand personal temptation, Powerless to change the world around them. Powerless to give witness to our Great Savior. These churches were targets of public scorn and the leadership called it suffering for Christ.

I can't point a finger at these people, for after all, they did introduce me to the basic principles of our faith, enough to make me hungry for what I see in God's Word. As I grow older and dig into the Word of God with questions on why the church of this age...why do I lack the demonstration of the mighty power of the Almighty God? In all that I am reading and studying is that the church of this age is guilty...I am guilty of a small, self-centered prayer life and ignorance of the God we serve, the God I serve.

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Revival - A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence.

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It's time for revival in our churches. It's time for revival in modern day Christianity.

I'm not calling for tent meetings, or week long events with special speakers and guest singers.

I am calling for daily prayer that leads to intimacy with our Heavenly Father. I am calling for a knowledge of God that comes through the study and application of God's Word - acting by faith on the truth of scripture.

It starts with one.

When our family, our neighbors, our communities perceive that we have been with Jesus, the church, one by one, will become world changers.

Training in Godliness

I Timothy 4: 7-8 Amplified - But refuse and avoid irreverent legends (profane and impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers' tales) and silly myths, and express your disapproval of them. Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping yourself spiritually fit]. For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.

As I sit here at my computer with fingers poised over the key board, a rush of thoughts and images rush through my mind. Where do I begin? I refuse to live another day in powerlessness. I cannot go on stuck in mediocre. It's time to make the commitment to live like I believe the Word of God to be Alive and Active.

A truth that we cannot escape that that we are shaped by our thoughts. Our thoughts are fed by the focus of our attention. We become what we feed our attention. I live in the United States of America where my friends, family, neighbors and I all spend countless hours absorbing information. Advertising, music, movies, news & commentaries on the news, we are exposed to a daily tidal wave of information and opinion all day long. For myself and most of the people I know, seeking to know the will of God is a minuscule fraction of my day. There is something definitely wrong with that picture.

It is time to walk away from a life of distraction and commit to a life of devotion. I expect things to change.

I ask myself this question, can I qualify as "godly" by the amount of time I spend in training and developing in godliness? Is the activity of a student of the Word only for pastors & preachers, or is that the characteristic of a mere follower of Christ?

I Peter 1:2-4

May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal,  precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).
By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

Reading these verses in the Amplified Version really helps me to see what I might miss. God's favor, perfect well being, freedom from fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts - doesn't that sound like the solution we're all searching for? This state of being is multiplied to me in the full, personal, precise and correct knowledge of God and of Jesus my Lord. And did you catch that we've been offered the opportunity to become sharers or partakers of the divine nature?!! All of this  is mine, is yours in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, his son. 

He (God) has bestowed (to present as a gift or an honor) His precious and exceedingly great promises - so that we might escape the moral decay - rottenness and corruption that is in this world. 

What are the disciplines of the godly?  

2 Peter 1:5-9

For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.
For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

In the context godliness begins with the knowledge of God and diligence to the divine promises. We are to employ every effort - most of us exert very little effort with regard to any godly discipline described in this list. I don't see "going to church " anywhere on this list. Don't get me wrong - I do believe we are to come together as believers for worship and the sharing of the Word. For many "believers" going to church is the only effort they put forth towards developing "godliness".

I am called to 

• exercise my faith to develop virtue.
• develop knowledge
• develop self control
• develop steadfastness
• and in steadfastness comes godliness
• the fruit of godliness is brotherly affection and Christian love.

These are the qualities that will keep me from being unfruitful. But if I lack these qualities I am blind and shortsighted. 

I repent, Lord, I have been blind and shortsighted.

I woke up this morning with this yearning in my heart, "Lord, do not let me be unfruitful!" 

John 15:2-5 

Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].
Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

Other excellent blog posts on Training in Godliness:

• The Profit of Godly Discipline - P.G. Matthew - I liked Matthew's sermon from I Corinthians 9:24-27. "Run in such a way as to get the prize." 
• "The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards" - a book review - Lisa G. Burgess - Thank you Lisa for sharing this book review. I like the quote Lisa shared from the author of this biography on Edward's spiritual life. "These diverse disciplines—Bible study, theological reading, meditation, prayer, and singing—worked hand in hand, the one supporting the other, in Edwards’ pursuit of holiness. These religious duties helped Edwards maintain a vibrant communion with God. His theology led to doxology. " ~ STEPHEN J. LAWSON
• Saw this quote -  "Men, time is the chrysalis of eternity - there is no other time but the present. We all go through times in our lives when we have little time for our families - it is part of the natural rhythm of life. But excessive 'busyness' must not be by choice - as it so often is. We must be aware of packing our schedules by saying 'yes' to things which mean saying 'no' to our families. Now is the time to take time..."  R. Kent Hughes, The Disciplines of a Godly Man