Spiritual Anchor

In Hebrews 2:1, we read, "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."

"Before the days of GPS--the Global Positioning System--the greatest danger for anyone on the ocean was drifting out of sight of land or losing sight of a landmark. A fisherman just off shore might decide to shut his eyes for a nap and several hours later wake up and see nothing but water all around him."

"The strong currents that cause drifting on the ocean or in rivers are also found in the spiritual realm. The writer to the Hebrews warns his readers about drifting away from the truth and commitments they had made. What serves as an anchor in the spiritual realm?" The Word of God. As it says in Hebrews, it's imperative to pay close attention to the things we have heard. And the Bible is where we hear truth to guide us in our lives.

Proverbs lends us some insight: "21 My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." (Proverbs 3:21-24 ESV) God is the source of all wisdom and he filled the Scripture with wisdom to keep us secure. The Word of God "serves as a landmark [and an anchor] to keep us from drifting."

"The scariest part of drifting is how subtly it happens." It's almost impossible to notice at first, and if you aren't paying attention, you'll one day wake up and find yourself far from where you need to be. If God's Word isn't your spiritual anchor, there's virtually nothing to keep you from being deceived by the Father of Lies. He loves to twist the truth for his own evil purposes, and gradually pull us far away from God where he can influence us to the point where we can't really discern truth anymore.

That's why God's Word needs to be our anchor. But the currents of sin are so strong, an anchor alone isn't enough. We need something immovable to anchor our lives to. We need a rock. And there are many passages in the Bible referring to God as our rock.

Psalm 18:2 says, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Acts 4:11 adds, "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone."

An anchor gives support and security for a ship, but if the ship was anchored to a rock, there's no way it would go anywhere. The Lord is our Rock. Jesus is our Cornerstone. If we are are firmly anchored to God, letting Him keep us secure, we can avoid drifting from truth.

Let the unchangeable Word of God, the solid anchor for your faith, keep you from drifting. Anchor yourself to the Lord, the immovable rock of your salvation. And place all your hope and trust in Jesus, the never-failing Cornerstone of your faith, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

JPK

*the quoted passages are either from God's Word, or from a devotional entitled "Spiritual Anchor" in Dr. David Jeremiah's July 2012 edition of Turning Points.

Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3 (read by Josiah) 

What are some highlights of Proverbs 3? Here's a few summing up this wisdom-filled Proverb.

Undying love and faithfulness are a vital key to success. If love is the foundation of all you do, you will gain so much more out of life and be able to give so much more of yourself to others.

Trusting in God cannot be a low priority. It's something that needs to be done with all of your heart, or you will find yourself with fears and doubts constantly weighing you down. And if you decide to go it alone, instead of relying on God and His grace, you will find that you are unable to find your way on your own.

Although being disciplined by God is never fun, it's actually a good sign if He is trying to correct you. It means He loves you far too much to let you keep going your own stubborn way. God wants what's best for you, and His best means listening to Him and obeying Him, so He does what it takes to get your attention and focus back on Him were it belongs.

Wisdom is a better treasure than any amount of money or any kind of expensive jewel. You can gain so much more from wisdom than from wealth. It may seem crazy, but it's true. Wealth and possessions can only do so much for a person. They can never guide a person to make good choices, to seek God for the guidance he/she needs, or to live completely for Christ like godly wisdom can.

It is pointless to be afraid of what might happen in the future. God is in control. Trust in Him. He won't let anything happen to you that's outside of His perfect plan.

When you are able to help someone, don't ignore the opportunity. God may have a very good reason to send them your way. You could miss out on the biggest potential blessings of your life if you live as if you're in a bubble, only concerned about your own problems and needs.

Arguing with someone about pointless and trivial things will only damage relationships. Even if it seems like you have a good reason to get upset, it's not worth the hurt you could end up inflicting on those you care about. Calm down first. Then realize you could be wrong. And then... let God guide your words.

Don't envy people who seem to always get their way. Don't try to be like them. God is looking for those people who will be dedicated to His way, not focused on their own happiness.

Humility is wisdom in disguise. As it says in the Bible, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. It's those people who know how weak and helpless they are on their own, that God can use for His glory.


JPK

Supreme Savior

If anyone still stalks this blog, I apologize for my absence. I have been writing a lot lately, just not for this. But I realize that I haven't posted in a whole month. So, we'll see what happens now.

In Philippians 2:9, we read, "9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

This passage brings out the supreme authority and sovereignty of our Savior. On the day this world ends, everyone will be compelled to bow before Him at just the mention of His name. You can see from this how all-powerful and deserving of our complete surrender Jesus really is. His name will be reason enough for every person, believers and un-believers alike, to give Him their complete respect and adoration.

But in our day to day lives, "sometimes it's easier for us to take just a piece of Jesus, rather than become a full-fledged Christ follower" willing to do anything for the One Who died in our place. "Our Christ-less society demeans His deity and entreats people to adopt a more "comfortable" approach to Jesus: They claim He was a humanitarian and a good teacher," but not really God.

"Isn't it interesting that even religious people will rationalize and adjust theology to let them 'have' Jesus, without letting Jesus 'have' them? It's in fact a centuries-old problem. The writer of Hebrews appealed to first-century sects within Judaism who venerated angels instead of giving precedence to Jesus. Acceptance into their synagogues required the Jews to diminish Jesus to the status of a powerful angel--much less intimidating than the holy, righteous Son of God." But listen to how He is described in Colossians 1:15-20:

"15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

On this earth, Jesus was no ordinary man, He was our Creator come to save us in human form so we could identify with Him. He Himself said that anyone that saw Him had seen the Father, referring to the fact that He indeed was God the Son. He is eternal, existing before this world ever began. Through Him, all the laws of our universe work seamlessly together to create order in our world and to point undeniably to His masterful design. He's not the founder of some religion, He is the one and only Way to eternal life. He's still the head of the true body of believers today, because death could not conquer Him, and He will always be alive for all eternity. He surpasses everyone and everything else there ever was or will be, because He was here before any of that ever began or was conceived. Even as a man, He was fully God; one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through the sinless life He lived, and His atoning death on the cross, He forever paid the price for our sins, so anyone that accepts His sacrifice will be eternally saved. His glory cannot be diminished, His power cannot be overcome, His wisdom cannot be surpassed, His perfection cannot be matched, His authority cannot be challenged, His sovereignty cannot be denied.

John 5:23 (ESV)

"23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him."

Jesus can't just have an important place in our lives, He must be supreme over every detail of our lives. And to disobey Jesus, is to disobey God the Father.

"How do you respond to the pressure of making people feel comfortable with the person of Jesus? Are you in danger of compromising His superiority? Or do you unequivocally give Jesus His rightful place as supreme ruler of heaven, earth, and your life?" You can't water down the Gospel. You can't shrink the importance of His sacrificial death. You can't make Him seem like the founder of every other religion, because He is the only one that ever died and rose again to live eternally in the heart of everyone that believes. He paid for the sins of not only His future followers, but also for the sins of everyone else in the whole world that would reject Him their entire life. The people you come into contact with need to realize Who Jesus really is. And they must be brought to understand their eternal destiny hinges on whether or not they accept Him as personal Lord and Savior. There's no halfway point between heaven and hell. "What you believe about Christ determines your destiny for all eternity. It's a deal breaker. You either believe 100% in the supremacy of Jesus, or you don't. Give Him His rightful place in your life."

Revelation 5:11-13 (ESV)

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

JPK

*the quoted passages are either from God's Word, or from a devotional entitled "Supreme Savior" in Dr. David Jeremiah's July 2012 edition of Turning Points.