THE GREAT AUTHOR

Any human author could claim to have the most written and published books in the world, but they would not begin to touch the authorship of God. 

Many who know and have studied God as The Great Author can recall the passages in Daniel and Revelation that help support this portrait of a documenting God.  A judgement scene with records showing the proof of actions is found in Daniel 7:10 - 

• "The court was seated and books were opened." 

This same kind of scene, if not the very same scene, is mentioned in Revelation 20:12 -

• "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books."

Another Book that is mentioned quite often right at the end of the Bible is The Lamb's Book of Life or The Book of Life. Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:27 – all speak about The Lamb's Book of Life. The mention of something twice for affirmation in Scripture is worth noting, but to observe six mentions of this book is like God trying to show you The Book of Life itself. This book is foreknowledge of those who would place their faith in God through His Son Christ Jesus (Revelation 13:8).

Books of all kind can be found within The Scripture. The Bible loves to refer to other written material, for example it references - 

• Book of the Wars of the Lord – Numbers 21:14
• Book of Jashar – 2 Samuel 1:18 
• Book of the annals of Solomon – 1 Kings 11:41
• Book of the annals of the kings of Israel – 1 Kings 14:19
• Book of the annals of the king of Judah – 1 Kings 14:29
• Book of the annals of King David – 1 Chronicles 27:24

These books, written by earthly authors are documents meant to record details concerning the subject of the book title. Similarly, God has written a book with every human's story in history documented in it.

This particular book numbers our days and/or chronicles everyday of our existence - "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:16

I like to imagine that God has an impressive, Heavenly Library. I would like to think that part of the attraction is that the binder that has my current name and future Heavenly names on it contains two columns inside: (1) one column tells the actual story of my life with God's intervention on my behalf noted and (2) the development of my faith told in the other column with God's intervention also noted and every sin removed from the pages by Christ Himself. The author of Hebrews states it this way -

"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 the throne of God." (KJV) - Hebrews 12:2

The New International Version translates "author and finisher" as "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith". God blazed the trail for us to walk out; God wrote down a glorious plan for our lives - "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11  However, even when sin entered the picture many years ago - Christ came so that our story will have an awesome ending. That is one reason He is called The Great Author!

WHEREVER HE GOES

In this time of separation and isolation during the 2020 Corona Virus, I was reminded that Christ was separated and isolated also for our eternal benefit.

Zechariah prophesied conditions much like we are experiencing today but against the disciples during the most critical time of Christ's time on earth - Jesus' trial, scourging and execution. Zechariah 13:7 says, 

"'Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!' declares the Lord Almighty. 'Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.'"

Jesus would quote to His disciples from this passage perhaps moments after He prayed for their Unity and all future believer's Unity.

"Then Jesus told them, 'This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.'" - Matthew 26:30-32

If Peter went as far as denying association to Christ three times who knows what kind of similar or worse scenarios the other disciples went through. 

Jesus and the disciples went into The Garden of Gethsemane to pray and by the end of their prayer meeting Judas had betrayed Jesus. Here is where the prophecy of Zechariah and Jesus' affirmation of it is fulfilled.

"In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, 'Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all the disciples deserted him and fled." - Matthew 26:55-56

I am not sure why the sheep had to be scattered, especially after Jesus spoke of being unified. However, what they went through and what we are going through - Christ has experienced and conquered.

Sometimes we have to be knocked down to make us look upward. When you are at the bottom of the barrel or at the end of your rope and all other options have been exhausted, Jesus stands patiently waiting and wondering why we did not seek Him first. 

Even if we did seek Him first there may be another reason our backside is flat on the ground and our eyes are on Christ. Perhaps a worldly attack, spiritual attack or another type of lesson needed to be learned like persistence, patience or fervent prayer.

There was a disciple that was at the Crucifixion. He was with the women who attended Jesus frequently in Scripture. However, I find the lack of his mention in Matthew, Mark and Luke quite interesting seeing that the person was John.

John gave a title for himself that he made sure the readers of Scripture knew him by - "the disciple whom Jesus loved". Certainly Jesus loved all the disciples, but if you look at where John is during the whole turbulent circumstances and peaceful times, we have a good example of what we should be doing. We should be following Jesus around wherever He is - in or out of the middle of this time of separation and isolation.

At the Last Supper, before Christ was taken away, unlawfully tried, mocked, bruised, beaten, stripped naked, whipped and nailed to a wooden, elevated beam - 

"One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him." - John 13:23 

Then later John is at Mount Calvary and Jesus entrusts John with the care of His mother. 

"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, 'Woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." - John 19:25-27

To me, John comes across as a teacher's pet/bodyguard type of disciple. None-the-less, he is a steadfast and faithful disciple. John was nearest Jesus at The Last Supper. John was at The Crucifixion. John raced Peter to The Empty Tomb. John was entrusted with the prophetic visions of the unveiling or The Revelation of Jesus Christ. 

My encouragement today is - in these times of separation and isolation, much like the disciples experienced during Christ's trial and crucifixion, draw near to Jesus and He will draw near to you. Who knows you could receive new assignments like John did with the care of Jesus' mother and the writing of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. But first you must be with Him - Wherever He Goes.

HIS ACCOUNTED SOULS

I have heard it said that when you are on a ship, the phrase used in asking about the number of people on board is - "Do we have the total number of souls on board?" The word soul has to be taken in context. Soul is considered the spiritual part of a human, the emotional part of a person, a whole person or a part of African American culture usually associated with music. For the example above and this writing, The Soul is - The Whole Person - body, mind and spirit.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, God has a particular song replaying in my mind and heart right now - "It Is Well With My Soul". However, The Lord had me change the lyrics a little as I sang it just recently.

"When peace like a river attends my way, when sorrow like sea billows roll,
whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say,
You have taken care of my soul.

You have taken care, 
Of my soul
You have taken care, you have taken care of my soul."

My soul is well because Christ has taken care of it and is taking care of it. Christ Jesus is Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and Isaiah in the future tense says, "And He will be called...Prince of Peace", speaking about when everyone will see the government of the world be placed upon His shoulders. However, I see His peace and His company or presence as The Prince of Peace more and more as I surrender to Him during my "sea billows" of life.

Everybody that is alive on the planet has been saved by Christ with His sacrificial life on the Cross. His work of salvation is complete or finished. As Savior of everyone's Soul, Christ Jesus has provided Peace with Father God. There are those that are on the Ship of Indecision, The Ship of Rejection - The Ship of Doom. This ship has no real rudder, is easily tossed about by the wind, waves and currents and is headed for a date with a destructive end. 

Humanity then becomes a bunch of walking decisions toward accepting Christ's paid gift to join His Ship. Christ's Ship has the power and love to take you on a better journey, to a better destination. Jeremiah 29:11 says it this way - "'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Will you get on board Christ's Ship called Redemption? The distributor of peace, The Prince of Peace, awaits your decision. If you choose to do so you will you be known as one He has saved and provided peace for body, mind and spirit. You will be known as one of His Accounted Souls.

OUR PEACE

Waves are made by an underwater current influenced by the topography below the water's surface and the wind pushing on the surface of the water above. The waves are the visible result of invisible forces - the current and the wind. For sailors of any sea or ocean, knowing the the minor and major currents, winds and weather behavior is powerful knowledge. There is also power in knowing the behavior of the currents and the waves of life. However, there is One who treads those waves, can navigate the currents with us and calm the winds - He is Christ Jesus.

Two times in Scripture, actual waves were mentioned as coming against the boat full of Christ's disciples - Matthew 8 then later in Matthew 14. Matthew 8:23-27 recounts what sounds like a battle, during a boat ride, with a tempest on the water. The account records that "a furious storm" came out of nowhere and was so powerful that "the waves swept over the boat". The disciples had cause for concern. Logic screams drowning is a very real possibility here. But when they seek Jesus and His help - "Jesus was sleeping.".

Notice, He was not worried, therefore we should not be worried. This is easier said than done. However getting your eyes off the waves and on Christ, rebuking the wind and praying against the undercurrents of life take practice. That is why Paul says to be communicating with God "in every situation", especially those that bring anxiety. 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

He calmed the sea with His words. Jesus could have allowed the tempest to rage and kept the boat afloat to its destination, but He showed His mastery over physical waves and huge situations like this by speaking or rebuking the wind and waves.

The Disciples had heard great teaching but now they were receiving a good dose of The Messiah's power. Place yourself in their shoes at this time, I mean what kind of person has control of the weather at the mere mention of a word? - Only The Creator.

Later on in their travels, Matthew 14:22-36 records the Lord and His Disciples needed to use a boat again. This time He instructed them to go ahead of Him and He would catch up. Once again the disciples met resistance but this time the resistance was sustained - "and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it."

Enough time elapsed that Jesus was able to have quiet-time with Father God on a mountainside before walking out on the lake's raging surface to meet His disciples. The disciples thought He was a ghost, which is perplexing because if the the other Boat Ride happened first, this miracle should be half-expected. 

Peter stepped out of the boat upon the invitation of the reality of Christ on the water and in the midst of their dilemma. In the middle of a deep lake, on a dark night with the Lord in front of him and a boat behind him - even for a short time, Peter found himself walking on the breakers of a squall. 

Peter's eyes did not look back at the boat, they did not remain on the Lord either - Peter's eyes got distracted, tempted by his impossible situation and The Doubting Voice in the Wind saying, "Did the Lord really say, 'Take courage it is I. Don't be afraid. Come."? Sounds a whole lot like the serpent in Genesis 3:1 and the devil continues to use that tactic so beware. 

The undercurrents of life, the things we cannot see or immediately sense have an influence on our Life Boat. In both accounts mentioned here, the instant that Jesus was recognized in the boat or stepped into the boat - the water calmed. The Tempest with its wind, currents and waves will come after you especially if Jesus is the Captain of your ship. 

The Tempest tried to take the disciples and Jesus out before their due time. But, The Sovereign Master conquered it through His Word. The Squall attempted to keep the disciples from their destination and purpose. However, The Lord turned the situation into a hiking adventure, learning experience (especially for Peter) and worship service - "And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'" (Matt. 14:32-33).

Many years before these events would occur, David penned these words in Psalm 107:29 - "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed." No matter whether you cannot see the currents; no matter whether you can see the wind or the waves - Christ is right there beside us, helping us along the way. 

There is a great old hymn that has been helping me lately and Isaiah 48:17-18 supports the hymn nicely. The Scripture reads - "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." The song/hymn is It Is Well With My Soul. 

"When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea-billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hath taught me to say, "It is well, it is well, with my soul." 

Jesus stepped out on the tumultuous waves of the lake many years ago and taught lessons of fear not, focus and faith. He did this with just a few words and the power that is His alone as The Son of Almighty God. In the lives of the disciples then and Christ followers now, Jesus is our Wave Treader, our Wave Crusher and in the midst of all our turmoil - Our Peace.

GOD RELATIONSHIP

Life is all about re-establishing relationship with God through Christ Jesus. After accepting Christ, nourishing our time with Him and responding to His Counsel on life's journey - dangers still lurk. Some believers  substitute a place, many fulfilled needs and objects for God.

There was a place called Shiloh where all of these dangers took place for the Israelites. 

"At Shiloh the Israelites set up the Tabernacle—the Tent of Meeting constructed at the beginning of the wilderness journey and after forty years brought into the Promised Land (Joshua 18:1, 8-10; 21:2). According to Talmudic sources, the Ark remained at Shiloh for 369 years. Other scholars estimate anywhere between 200-400 years. The area was well suited as a quiet place for worship, surrounded by hills, pasture lands, and a water supply.

Shiloh was a city in the tribal territory of Ephraim. Judges 21:19 describes its position with exactitude:

'So they said, 'Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.'" Judges 21:19

By the time of Jeremiah’s prophecies, the northern kingdom had been exiled to Assyria for well over a century. The temple had been located in Jerusalem since the time of Solomon. So why choose Shiloh for an analogy of what God will “do to Jerusalem”?

'Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.' Jeremiah 7:12-14

Two characteristics present an overwhelming comparison.

(1) Shiloh is the only place outside of Jerusalem that the Bible records as having a temple that housed the Ark of the Covenant.

(2) During the time of the tabernacle’s residence at Shiloh, the people had attempted to exploit their relationship to God through the ark in order to achieve security and protection in times of political distress. Instead of an object made holy because of the presence of God, the ark became a “lucky charm” to protect the people from enemies. “Faith” was placed in a temple furnishing. Instead of faith in YHWH “who sits enthroned on the cherubim” (2 Samuel 6:2, et al), the people developed a superstitious reliance on the ark of the Lord. The defeat of foreign armies and the protection from enemies was attributed to the Ark instead of God Himself.

In this manner, Shiloh makes a perfect analogy for the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was holy because God’s presence dwelt there. But it too became a “lucky charm.” The people relied on the presence of a building instead of the presence of God. Protection from enemies and other blessings were attributed to the temple. Apart from God, the temple is only a building (cf. John 15:5). 

(https://rdrdbiblestudy.com/shiloh/)

Although a place can be special, God's presence is what makes the area unique. The Tabernacle and Temples of old had their place, but today's Christian is pictured in Scripture as a Portable Temple with Ambassador responsibilities for His Kingdom.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20

At Shiloh, the Israelites got spoiled in asking for provision for resources and protection from enemies to the point they accredited that favor to The Ark instead of The Almighty. The Lord has a plan for meeting all your needs and those answered needs are found in the riches of the glory of Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:18 states -  "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." The riches of Christ's glory are infinite and always good. We must trust Him in His riches, in His infinite supply, in His goodness, in everything. 

I too have observed Christians treating God like a Genie or Waiter and wearing a Cross-necklace as a lucky charm more than a sign of a relationship with The Creator. They spout off from a wishlist or menu like He was their servant and place their hope in charms, chants and the charisma of their crucifix. 

There is a matter of reverence between what I have just described and the privilege believers are afforded to approach God's throne boldly and confidently (Ephesians 3:12). Even though God knows everything, we do not and He desires us to turn, lean and trust in our relationship with genuineness and respect.

That is what life is all about - a personal, intimate and trusting relationship with Christ Jesus. It is not about a place, your latest need being met or a lucky charm to depend upon. Life is about a lot of different processes that begin at birth and continue through the doorway of death. However, you will never have a process more important than your God Relationship.