Anchor of Hope

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’  And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 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. 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 offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…” (Hebrews 6:13-19)

I was reading Hebrews today and some thing struck me about this passage of scripture. God never gives up on us. When He says He will do something, He means it. This shows me a few things about who God is and challenges me to become more like His Son in every way possible. Here is what I have found:

God’s Character

1.  Integrity ~ God displays this characteristic in everything He does. In Genesis 17, He made a promise to Abraham and He never detoured from that promise. When God says He will do something, rest assured it will be done. He cannot lie because He is the Creator of Truth. He lives by Absolute Truth because that is who He is! When you read His Word, and you learn things in the context of what they are meant to be, rest assured God will come through on every Truth He teaches in His Word.

How are you displaying integrity in your own life? Are you the same person at work that you are at church?  Are you the same person at home that you are at church and at work? May God get recognition for who you are wherever you are, at all times. Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are be all there.” God asks the same thing. Don’t promise something if you don’t plan on following through with it.

2.  What does it mean to be a person of integrity?

Be consistent, Be honorable, Be trustworthy, Be loving, Be kind, Be all these things all the time, not just when it’s convenient!

God’s Plans

1.  To Give Hope ~ God made an oath to Abraham that “He would bless him and his descendants would be many.” Abraham waited for his son, but he didn’t see the many, many descendants that came through his line. This lineage included Jesus mother Mary. God made a promise to give hope for a future that would come through His Son Jesus Christ. This promise was fulfilled many years later. God knows when He will finish the work He begins.

His plan was to give hope to a nation, to start a process of looking forward with great expectation to a Messiah who would come and be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. You may be waiting for God to do something in your life right now, just as Abraham waited for his son and later waited for multiple descendants. Please rest assured that God isn’t finished with you. He has a plan and the hope He has given you to hold on to is so that you will hang tightly to Him. May you trust in Him and remember He will never fail to be faithful to you!

2.  Hope as an Anchor ~ the anchor of our hope is in Jesus Christ. He is the One who came to this earth and lived a life without sin. He has made it possible for us to hold on to God through the storms of life. We no longer have to be afraid of tomorrow or what it holds because God has made a way for us to come to Him.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” ~Romans 3:23-24

We have received redemption from our sins freely from Christ when we ask Him to be Lord and Savior over our lives.  May we not keep this gift for ourselves, but always be aware of those around us who are seeking this grace and love that we know!

Dear Father God, Please help me to be aware of those who do not know of the great gift I have through Your Son Jesus Christ. I pray that You will use this devotion to keep us all in check with who You are and what life is about; being here on earth. Being here is about sharing who You are with others. I pray we do that with our words, our actions, and our daily lives.

Originally posted in 2009.

Living to Glorify You,