Are You Anchored?

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard,

so that we do not drift away.  ~Hebrews 2:1

 Some day it is easier than others to have faith.  Some days everything is coming up roses, you get all the green lights, and you get an unexpected check in the mail.  Others, it's a little harder.  You find out that doctors still haven't found an answer to a medical problem, discover that you need to replace a porch due to rotting support beams and the money isn't in the budget, and due to circumstances beyond your control your grand-daughter is coming to live with you while her mother deals with an addiction.  Those days it can be hard to hold on to faith and trust God is in control.

And then God prompts you to resume your chronological Bible study and you just happen to read Hebrews 2:1.  I love that we serve such a personal God; one that reaches out and reminds you that you are not alone.  You see, the Hebrews were wavering in their faith, wondering if their choice to follow Jesus was the right one.  And then God crafted a letter to them to encourage them, to strengthen them.

The author of Hebrews (possibly Paul) spent all of chapter 1 remind us who Jesus is - the heir of all things, the creator of the world, the radience of God's glory, the exact imprint of God's nature, the upholder of the universe, superior to angels, God's Son, God's firstborn who sits at His right hand.  What a mighty God we serve!  Yet we still forget.  

We let the drudgery of this life overshadow the Truth.  We let our momentary hardships rule our thoughts rather than the knowledge that the battle has already been won.  We forget the love Jesus has for us, the sacrifice He made for us.  And instead we focus on the lie of the world - we are unloved, we are unwanted, we are alone.

When we forget the truth of Jesus it causes us to drift away, we are in effect cutting our anchor, setting ourselves adrift to be tossed about by the world.  This leads to wavering, a loss of faith, and a divided loyalty.  That leads to destruction.  

And this, my friends, is why we are called to encourage each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11), to gather together with fellow believers (Hebrews 10:24-25), to spend time with Jesus (Matthew 12:30) and to renew our mind daily (Romans 12:2).  Doing these things cause us to pay careful attention to the works of, and our relationship with, Jesus.  And when we are focused on Him, we can't drift away into confusion and despair.

What verse(s) brings you the most comfort when you find yourself wavering?

Abba, I thank you for the wisdom and forethought of including encouragement for every aspect of our lives in Your word.  I ask that you forgive me for my waverings, for weakening my bond to You, my anchor.  Help me to pay careful attention to Your word in the future so that I may stand strong.  Amen.

*originally published on Coffee with Christ

Quiet Time

Photographer: Katie Tegtmeyer,  Creative Commons 2.0 license

It is ironic that at this moment while I am attempting to write about the importance of quiet time with God, my 18-month-old granddaughter is having a fit because she can not exercise her newly acquired skill of climbing on chairs all by herself to reach the dining room table.  At the same time, my 7-year-old is serenading the entire house at the top of her lungs from her room.  While my teenager calmly slips her headphones over her ears and sinks into a music-induced coma.....sigh.  Some days quiet time is a bit hard to come by.

We all have "noise" in our lives.  Some may have children underfoot, while others have the chatter of co-workers.  You may encounter days where you are frazzled and hang from a string rather than a rope, but it is those days, especially, that it is all the more necessary to find some quiet time with God.

You see, quiet time equips us to face those moments of stress that life seems to throw at us.  It allows us to reconnect with our Creator, to renew our minds (Ephesians 4:23) and ensures that our will lines up with His (Psalm 143:10).  Quiet time is the sip of thirst quenching water given to a parched soul. (Revelation 21:6)  And yet so many of us (yep, me too at times!)are content to squeeze time with God into our lives, rather than make quiet time a priority. 

Today I challenge you to change this.  Stop trying to fit Him in, and instead, put Him at the center and fit everything else in.  We have a limited lifespan and every moment counts.  It may mean that you lose an hour of sleep as you get up earlier to start your day with God rather than rushing out the door.  It could mean that you schedule an appointment with Him on your calendar daily and don't break it.  Perhaps it means you set aside a place in your home just to meet with Him.  However, you chose to make time with God a priority the important thing is that you just do it.  And when you do, the rest will fall into place. 

For those of you that benefit from visual demonstrations, here is a short object lesson that illustrates the point:

How do you find quiet time with God?


* originally published on Coffee with Christ