Suggested Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Devotional Thoughts: One of the scariest moments of my life occurred when I was 19 years old. I was vacationing at the beach with my mom and my friend Kathy from college. Kathy had a cousin that came out to spend the day with us at the beach. We decided to rent a Catamaran because she told me that her cousin had been boating his whole life and that I could trust him. Needless to say, the next two hours were spent going out as far in the ocean as one could imagine, feeling completely hopeless and pleading with this person to bring us back to shore. He took complete joy in in our terror and on that day, I made the decision that I would never let anyone lead me anywhere that I didn’t completely know and trust.
In my Christian walk, believing in Christ was an easy decision. Surrendering and trusting Him completely with my life, not so much. I didn’t realize it at first, but trusting during the trials was an important part of being a believer. It was so easy to trust when things were good. However, trusting in my faith at all times meant I had to trust the person I claimed to have made “captain” of my life. I had to believe in His Word and in the faith he was the author of. In the verse above, the actual Greek translation for “author” also means “captain” or “chief leader.” This means that Jesus, as author, steers our faith. He is in control. We don’t have to worry that He will lead us astray or enjoy our suffering. We also don’t have to worry about defining it because, we didn’t create faith. It is a gift by the author Himself (Ephesians 2:8) to help us through our story. And what story is complete without an ending? The Greek translation for “perfecter” in this verse literally means “completer” or “finisher.” Isn’t the fact that Jesus brings faith to its perfect conclusion consistent with what we already know about Him? Does God ever do things half way? He completed the heavens and the earth (Genesis 2:1-2), His very life and death were a fulfillment of scripture (John 19:28) and He promises to do the same in our lives. Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.” I want to put an exclamation point at the end of that verse! Paul didn’t say he may finish, he said BE CONFIDENT, not only will it be finished but it will be PERFECT. Should we believe any less?
So, if Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, we should feel confident, as His followers, that it can never be lost, stolen or taken away from us. In the same way, the joy that comes from faith can only endure if we keep our eyes on Him. Finishing the verse it says, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He knew the suffering He would endure but His joy remained because He kept His focus on God. We must remember that true happiness will never come from looking inward. As Charles Spurgeon so aptly said, “We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.” All things, including our gifts of life and faith begin and end with Jesus. He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Do you trust the Author of all things with your story?
Discussion Questions:
1. During life’s hard times, do you trust God to help you through?
2. How much of your day is spent focusing inward on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions compared to how much of our day is focused on God?
3. Think about the concept that the salvation of faith is a gift from God that we have received in our hearts and exists with or without us. Does that make you think differently about it?
4. How is the Author of your story helping you in your spiritual journey?
The mission of Cambridge Christian School is to glorify God in all that we do; to demonstrate excellence at every level of academic, athletic, and artistic involvement; to develop strength of character; and to serve the local and global community.
