Author and Finisher of Faith

"And again He (Christ) took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.'" (Mark 10:32d-34)

Jesus had an uncanny ability of predicting the future. (uncanny: "characterized by apparently supernatural wonder; beyond what is normal or expected.") Christ was able to tell you what was going to happen before it happened. (Try it yourself with the next five minutes and see how hard it is.)

And not only that, our Lord's was a finely tuned and precise knowledge of what was ahead ~ even down to the minutest details and intimate knowledge. It's almost as if He had a special acquaintance ~ like He'd already (quote) "seen the movie" which no one had ever seen. And even more ~ like He'd written the script! And still even more (stay with me) ~ like He (Jesus) had authority to move events as He saw fit and chose! (John 10:17-18) Are you hearing what I'm trying to say?

So our lives are planned and have purpose, too! This same Jesus who walked and talked with the disciples and predicted His own death and resurrection ~ and brought it about of His own power and no one could stop Him ~ this same Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, too. (Hebrews 12:2) Wow.

“And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.” (Psalm 139:16bcd)

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Help For When Your Ship's (Life's) Falling Apart

"[T]hey used supporting cables in undergirding the ship." (Acts 27:17a)

It happens to all of us. We experience situations in life that try our souls/squeeze us to the very depth of our beings. It could be a job loss or cancer or the sudden death of a loved one or friend - you name it - and one day we're just sailing through life with calm seas below and blue skies above while the next day the winds are blowing, the waves are crashing and we're taking on water/sinking. So what do you do? The same thing the crew did in the Bible verse above.

Their ship was in the middle of a hurricane. (Acts 27:14) And so they took cables and wrapped them around the ship to hold it together. The New Living Translation puts it: "[T]he sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it." The Amplified Version has: "[T]hey used supports with ropes to undergird and brace." The King James is actually best: "[T]hey used helps, undergirding the ship." That word "helps" is an interesting word. In the Greek it's boetheia defined as "aid; specifically a rope or a chain frapping a vessel" which we find it's literal use in Acts 27:17. But there's a spiritual use/application as well. For that same word "helps" (boetheia) is used in another place. (Which it just excites me when I think about it.) In Hebrews 4:16 it reads: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help (boetheia) in time of need." (KJV) And so there it is again. And this time in the context of prayer. Did you miss it? (Read the verse again.) It's our answer!

And when our own ship's (life's!) in the middle of a hurricane and about to fall apart, we can call out to God and He'll wrap "help/helps" (Himself!) around us and we'll hold together. We will! And ultimately we'll be brought to a safe shore. (Acts 27:44) It always works that way with Jesus. Always.

7 Proofs Good Always Triumphs Over Evil

When wickedness overtakes the affairs of men, what can the righteous do? An answer to the question here.