Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthian 15: 19a … If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
My Journal for Today: In his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, John MacArthur teaches about the hope we have in Christ’s death and resurrection to secure our faith by using a word picture from a Greek concept of the “archegos.” According to MacArthur, the “archegos” was the strongest swimmer on any Greek fishing boat, who was charged with the responsibility to swim to shore, carrying a line, if the boat was in trouble, which the “archegos” would then affix the line to a solid rock or tree, securing the boat’s safety. MacArthur says that Jesus is the Christian’s “archegos,” securing our boat of hope by going ahead, through the resurrection, to tie our rope of faith to the rock of His saving grace, … or better yet, to the tree where He died that we might live.
I’m very taken by MacArthur’s word picture; because without Christ going ahead of us from His grave (perhaps as depicted in Deut. 31: 8 and the prophesy of Psalm 22), this exercise of mine this morning to journal my way in God’s word or even to have any faith in Jesus Christ at all would be meaningless and a total waste of time. All the Bible study in the world or listening to sermons or giving our tithe to the church or witnessing my faith to others … all of it would be purposeless without Christ’s resurrection.
However, because Christ now is risen and His tomb lies empty in that rock somewhere near Jerusalem, I will live forever (see John 14: 19). And because He was raised and ever lives, my sins are justified (see Romans 4: 24 – 25); and my anchor of faith is tethered to the rock of my salvation forever, … my “Archegos.”
My Prayer Today: Again, Lord, I cry deep from within … “HALLELUJAH! Amen
Showing posts with label the Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Rock. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
2010 – December 24 – Hope As an Anchor
Study from God’s Word… Hebrews 6: 13 – 10: 18 … Passage for Reflection: Hebrews 6: 17, 19a [underlined in context] … NIV 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
My Journal for Today: To what do you attach your anchor of faith and hope? In the 19th century, shipping was the primary method of distribution and commerce of the day; and a ship could not drop anchor unless the Captain knew that his anchor chain was solid … and when used, was attached to a solid rock on the ocean floor, especially when his ship encountered rough seas or heavy storms. In the 19th century, Priscilla Owen wrote a hymn, which has become a standard, entitled, We Have An Anchor; and the first verse and chorus go like this …
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.
And in this hymn, we have the essence of the hope we have that the anchor of our faith/hope is eternally affixed to the solid Rock, Who is Christ. And our Lord and Savior has given us the promise of His New Covenant, upon which we can attach our anchor of faith. God has sworn to us, by the shedding of His own blood and He demonstrated His truth by His resurrection, … so that we can be saved by eternally affixing our anchor of hope to Him. And when we do, He will bring our ship into eternal relationship with Himself in heaven. That is the promise … the Rock-solid promise of the New Covenant.
My friend, to whom – or should I say, “to Whom” – do you affix your anchor of hope? Is it the promises of man; or are you banking your eternity on the promises the world can offer? I doubt the latter; because no matter how good or strong another person or worldly institution in your life might be, that entity is fallible; and we could never put down our anchor of life, let alone the anchor to eternal life, and know, beyond doubt, that it would hold by depending on the promises of mankind. But when our anchor of faith is affixed to Jesus and His sacrifice as the Lamb of God, shedding His blood for the remission of our sin, we know that our anchor will hold eternally.
God’s word is solid; and His promises are His rock; and I don’t know about you, but my anchor line of faith is affixed to the Rock, and He will hold my ship through any storm, keeping me always and eternally anchored to Himself. I don’t have to depend upon the promises of man; because I only depend upon the promises of God through His word. And my anchor will always hold.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, my anchor of faith is affixed to You. You are my Rock. Amen
My Journal for Today: To what do you attach your anchor of faith and hope? In the 19th century, shipping was the primary method of distribution and commerce of the day; and a ship could not drop anchor unless the Captain knew that his anchor chain was solid … and when used, was attached to a solid rock on the ocean floor, especially when his ship encountered rough seas or heavy storms. In the 19th century, Priscilla Owen wrote a hymn, which has become a standard, entitled, We Have An Anchor; and the first verse and chorus go like this …
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.
And in this hymn, we have the essence of the hope we have that the anchor of our faith/hope is eternally affixed to the solid Rock, Who is Christ. And our Lord and Savior has given us the promise of His New Covenant, upon which we can attach our anchor of faith. God has sworn to us, by the shedding of His own blood and He demonstrated His truth by His resurrection, … so that we can be saved by eternally affixing our anchor of hope to Him. And when we do, He will bring our ship into eternal relationship with Himself in heaven. That is the promise … the Rock-solid promise of the New Covenant.
My friend, to whom – or should I say, “to Whom” – do you affix your anchor of hope? Is it the promises of man; or are you banking your eternity on the promises the world can offer? I doubt the latter; because no matter how good or strong another person or worldly institution in your life might be, that entity is fallible; and we could never put down our anchor of life, let alone the anchor to eternal life, and know, beyond doubt, that it would hold by depending on the promises of mankind. But when our anchor of faith is affixed to Jesus and His sacrifice as the Lamb of God, shedding His blood for the remission of our sin, we know that our anchor will hold eternally.
God’s word is solid; and His promises are His rock; and I don’t know about you, but my anchor line of faith is affixed to the Rock, and He will hold my ship through any storm, keeping me always and eternally anchored to Himself. I don’t have to depend upon the promises of man; because I only depend upon the promises of God through His word. And my anchor will always hold.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, my anchor of faith is affixed to You. You are my Rock. Amen
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