Author & Finisher

The Lord reminds me on many occasions that I am a spiritual work in progress. I am not ashamed to make that declaration; I am glad to know that my relationship with Christ is an on-going relationship that is developing into a deeper commitment of my life. I have described my life this way: "My life is surrounded by orange cones and signs signifying that you are entering a work/construction zone." The Spirit is continuing to mold, shape, form and develop me into the image and likeness of Christ. Hebrews 12:2a records these words; "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." Notice that Jesus is the beginning but also the ending; but as I was meditating about this scripture I realized that He also handles the development of my life between the beginning and the ending. Christ is at work in our hearts to help us reach the spiritual development that God intended for our lives. I am responsible for being obedient and submissive to His will and surrendering my life into the hands of His development. Terry Mahan shared this acronym to establish the process that the Spirit releases in our lives. The acronym is SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. The Spirit encourages us to read the Word, we then observe what the Word is saying to us, we apply the Word to our heart, and we pray and ask God to apply the Word to our hearts. We need to understand that Christ desires to be a part of our daily lives and not just on Sunday and Wednesday. God is looking to finish what He has started in us and our challenge is to cooperate with Him in His process.