Immutable Anchor

 Heb. 6:19
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, (immutable) and which entereth into that within the veil.

“Upon life’s boundless ocean where mighty billows roll, I’ve fixed my hope in Jesus, blest anchor of my soul; When trials fierce assail me as storms are gathering o’er, I rest upon His mercy and trust Him more.”~ Lewis E Jones. In times when life is overwhelming, and we find ourselves going through trials and tribulations, we trust in God who is immutable. He is sure and steadfast, unchangeable in His promise to bring us through the storms we may be facing. There are seasons in our life where the storms are more fierce than other days. Life in general is often filled with mini storms that cause our lifeboat to rock back and forth. We throw down our anchor and wait on God, who tells us to hold on, stay calm, don’t stress, I have this under control. We face problems that we don’t have an answer to, but God knows exactly where we are and what we are going through. Even the everyday cares of life can be challenging. It may be a work situation, financial dilemma, or just the stress of fulfilling our responsibilities. We need to anchor our faith. Let the anchor down into the Rock of ages and believe God to do what is best. All things work together for good to those who love Him and submit to His will and purpose. When we cast our anchor, we can trust God that the storm will not hurt us. We will not be overcome by the fierce billows that surround us. God’s immutable promise, the anchor will hold, and He will keep us and guide us through the storm. 

Saved By Grace

 Eph 2:8,9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

I have been to enough funerals where the good deeds of the deceased have been extolled and praised. Their time in this world is over, and they have left a lasting impression of being a good person. A person that was kind, willing to give their time and resources to others who were in need. Their humanitarianism could not be denied in the way they lived their lives. Personally, I hope that I can also live such a legacy that my life had some meaning and made a positive impact on those who knew me. Those who believe that there is a God, and there is life after death, all desire that their soul will find their resting place in heaven, a good place. God will look at their life and see that the good things done on this earth will surely outweigh any bad that may have been done. I had someone close to me speak these very words. I asked, “Are you ready for heaven?” They were confident that God would see that they tried their best to be a good person, they did not kill anyone or do anything that was regrettable. I would like to believe that good people will make it to heaven. But such a belief is contrary to God’s Word. The Bible is clear, no matter how many good works you have done, we all have sin, and the wages of sin is death. God is pleased when we accomplish good things, and as a Christian, we are commanded to do so. But, eternal security is secured through God’s grace provided to us through the Christ who died for us. He is the propitiation for our sin, paid the debt for our sin, so the wages of sin have been paid. Our faith in this sacrifice is our saving grace. Jesus, the way, truth, and life is our only hope to make it into heaven. As much as we would like to think that being good and doing good deeds will somehow convince God that we are worthy of eternal life, we need Jesus to make us fit for heaven. Thank God, we have this gift given to us by the Father.. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Roman 6:23

No Schisms in the Church

 1 Corinth 12:25
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

In an ideal world, all Christians should all get along with each other. There should be no schism (a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief) in the church. No schisms would imply that if you don’t agree on something that splitting apart is not the solution. Based on the context that Paul was addressing, it does appear that there was disagreement among believers that was causing strife and division. The admonition was to work together for a solution. The church does not function on the opinion of just one person. The church is made up of people with different gifts and talents. We all need each other, and we are not able to do it alone, so we must compromise to keep the unity of the church. But the history of the physical church has demonstrated that there have been hundreds of schisms within churches. Some schisms were caused by differences of opinion on Bible interpretation, and other causes are because someone did not get their way. Judging the legitimacy of a church split is not always easy to determine. We can see an example in the Bible where there were times that a schism was necessary. When false teaching turns the truth of God’s word into a lie, it is a good reason to leave the fellowship of those who have turned from Bible truth and are living a lie. The acceptance of lifestyles that promote immoral behavior and perversion should be a no-brainer (Eph. 5:11)—"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Such schism is understood. But we also read in scripture where Paul and Barnabas had a schism, and they departed ways not coming to an agreement. “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other” (Act 15:39). We understand that this was not a church split, but by two people who chose to disagree, agreeably. It appears that humanity is still part of who we are and how we make decisions. It would be wonderful if we could always agree, but that is not the case. We can agree we all want the will of God to be done, but how that is done may look different for each person. Let there be no schism in regard to who Jesus is, for He is the truth, life, and the way, and any man who rejects this, will not see heaven.

With God, All Things Possible

 Matt 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

As I read the story of Gideon,(Judges 6:36-40) I was reminded of the words of Jesus, that all things are possible with God. Gideon had his doubts and put God to the test. He knew what God wanted him to do was not possible with men. I don’t fault Gideon, he wanted assurance that God was directing this mission. He wanted to see a miracle that would help his faith to move forward. It's easy to be critical of Gideon, but how often do we hesitate to go forward because we are not sure if God is in it? We may like Gideon, put the fleece out to make sure that God is at work and leading us. How often do we pray for a miracle? Something that only God can do, something supernatural. Something to let us know that God is still at work in our lives and in the lives of others. I desire God to do something that will encourage us to move forward with God and take up our weapons of spiritual warfare and fight for truth and convince others of salvation through Christ. I would love to see the miracle of healing of friends and loved ones, and He is able to heal the sick, touch the blind, and even raise the dead, but the greatest miracle is to see God transform a sinner into a saint and see God do the impossible. Take a sinner, lost and on their way to hell, give their lives to God and make heaven their new destination. With men, this is impossible, but God, through Christ, can make the impossible happen. He is the God of possibilities!

Giving to the Kingdom

 Deuteronomy 14:28-29
bring all the tithes” so the Levites, “foreigners, the fatherless and the widows,” could come and “eat and be satisfied”.

There has been a lot of debate and discussion about tithing. Does the Bible require that Christian tithe to the church? There are many who believe that part of following Jesus is to give at least 10% of your income to support the work of God. There is no doubt that the Old Testament instructed God’s people to bring their tithe to help support the needs of the ministry and to help those who were not able to help themselves. One would argue that we are no longer under the law of the Old Testament and there is no such mandate given to believers in the New Testament. Much is said in the New Testament about giving of your means to help the spread of the gospel of Jesus, but there appears to be no commandment or set rule on how much you should be giving. We know that Paul encouraged believers to give and often thanked those who gave to support the work he was doing to tell others about Jesus. We also know that, in our present day, it requires money to maintain a church ministry, or any kind of ministry that desires to reach out and help people who have physical and spiritual needs.
Let it first be established that it is not possible to buy the favor of God, or give enough to pay for salvation. Salvation comes only through believing Jesus paid the price for our sins and confessing our sins and believing He is God who can reconcile us back to Him. But when a person has given their life to Christ, a transformation of desires begins. We seek to be more like Him and the things that we once desire to please ourselves are now turned toward the things of God. We now want to give all that we can to support the work of the Kingdom. We take inventory of how we are spending our resources. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinth. 10:31)Our life is no longer ours, but it belongs to God, All of it! Our money, time, effort, emotions, and spirit now belong to Him. God does not want 10% of you, He wants all of you. I believe that we are stewards of what we have and none of it belongs to us. What we do with it all depends on what kind of relationship we have with Him. If we love Him, out of a cheerful heart, we give to see others come to Christ. We desire to help those who are in need of a helping hand. We don't give so that God will bless us, we give because that is what Jesus would do. Don’t hold back what God has blessed you with to fulfill your selfish desires, but let Him take full control of everything you have. Don’t be in bondage to only give 10% but give to please the God you serve. Live in moderation, provide food and shelter for your family. Enjoy life, but remember, everything you have belongs to Him, and His desire is for us to first seek the kingdom of God. 

Warning of a Harden Heart

Heb 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 

The warning is given to Christians (brethren) to not allow our hearts to become hardened by sin and temptation. We have not yet arrived at our heavenly home. We are eternally secured in Christ as long as we keep our faith in Christ and don’t allow an evil heart of unbelief to take charge of our life. The doctrine of eternal security, as taught by Calvinist theology, teaches that once you have been saved by accepting Christ that your salvation is sealed for eternity and there is nothing that you can do that can break that seal. (no one can separate you from the love of God). The writer of the Hebrews warns the brethren that if we don’t take heed and be watchful, that it is possible to depart (Leave) from the living God. Getting saved does not remove our will to choose. We must daily choose to pick up our cross and follow Him. This is not salvation by works, but salvation by faith in trusting God to keep us in the palm of His hand. Scripture is clear that there is nothing we can do to obtain eternal life except through Christ. But scripture is also clear that our continual faith in Christ is essential in maintaining a relationship with a holy God. The blood covers as long as our faith remains active. We stay saved by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Paul says, “Quench not the Spirit.”  (1 Thess 5:9) Don’t extinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit when He seeks to lead and guide you. It is possible to stray away from God, but it is also possible to return. The love of God will never leave us or forsake us, it will always yearn for our return. Don’t allow the world and sin to harden your heart and leave your first love. Seek Him daily, pursue Him with all your heart. “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”(vs 14).

Follow His Steps

 1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

We were called to be a servant, called to submit. Submitting is not easy, especially if you think you are being treated wrongfully. Our first thought may be to react in retaliation, and defend our honor. Peter writes to those that have accepted Jesus as their Savior. We are just passing through this world, it is not our permanent home. The suffering we may go through will shortly be over. Endure the suffering, especially if it is for doing what is right. If we find ourselves between submitting to man or God, we always obey God first. Peter, who is admonishing us to submit to the rulers over us, himself stood up to the governing authority and said, “We ought to obey God rather than man” Act 5:29. This may cause man to treat us wrongfully and even be sent to jail, like Peter, but our lives have been given to God to do what is right in the sight of God. Christ, doing the will of His Father, also submitted to those in authority, even when they treated Him wrongfully. His life is an example of how we should live. We should follow His example, pick up the cross, and be willing to follow in His steps