Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please take the time to see a video of Ray Boltz singing a song written by a Pastor Lawrence Channing, The Anchor Holds, reminding Christians of the truth that our faith is affixed to a Rock which will always hold us in the storms of life, if we but remain anchored to our relationship with Christ. Unfortunately the one who sings this song did not and is sadly adrift in this world at this time.
Highlight Passage: 2nd Chronicles 24: 1-2 [NKJV} … When King Joash’s faith was anchored in the Lord, he did good …
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
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Highlight Context - NKJV: 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 24 [NKJV] … GO TO THIS LINK … But note how Joash went adrift when His mentor Jehoiada died and Joash took his eye off the Lord … see verses 15-22 …
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Reference Passage #1: Deuteronomy 31: 6… [NKJV] …
6 “… Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Reference Passage #2: Psalm 9: 9-10 … [NKJV] ... GO TO THIS LINK … David’s testimony of His God Who saves …
Reference Passage #3: Psalm 56: 3-4 … [NKJV] GO TO THIS LINK … David, when he was attacked, still had his anchor of faith strongly affixed in the Rock of Ages
Reference Passage #4: Hebrews 6: 19-20… [NKJV] GO TO THIS LINK … We affix our anchor of faith the the hope we have in Jesus!!
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Cindy Hess Kasper, took her readers (that’s me!) back in the Old Testament story of King Joash, one who became King of the Israelites as a young boy. And if you read the account in 2nd Chronicles 24, linked above, Joash had a strong and godly uncle and mentor, Jehoiada, who helped the young King become one of the few good kings in that time in the history of God’s people.
But the anchor of faith that Joash had was unfortunately placed in Jehoiada, rather than in God Himself; and when his uncle died, Joash turned bad; and God allowed his enemies to prevail. And the lesson is clear, reinforced by the story of the one who sings the song I’ve chosen for my journal (blog) today. I hope you take time to hear the song from the link above and to read the lyrics provided from the pen of Lawrence Channing, who wrote the song. The song is sung so beautifully by Ray Boltz, whose faith was being challenged by his unwanted same-sex attraction at the time he recorded the song. Now, his anchor of faith has broken away from his former Rock and he now longer is anchored into a relationship with Christ by waning into a lifestyle of homosexuality.
But the truth of what Lawrence Channing wrote into that song and what God’s word says about the hope we have in Christ, still holds strong with our anchor of faith. The question is to us - “Is our anchor of faith in the Rock of Christ strong enough to hold through the storms of life?” [see attached photo] If it’s not, the storms of challenge may break us away from Christ as it did for Joash or Ray Boltz. But if our anchor of faith is strongly affixed to the hope of Christ, we will prevail as we weather the storms of life.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, my anchor of faith is fixed in You. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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