Tag Archive for: Jesus

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:

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My Identity in Christ Jesus

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

When I made Jesus Lord of my life, there are several things that became true of me. I’m no longer defined by my past. I have a new identity. My identity is in Christ. If you have given your life to Jesus, these things are true of you too. If not, please click here to read my devotion on salvation and enter into the sweetest relationship you could possibly experience.

Here is who I am in Christ Jesus…

  • I am bought by the precious blood of Jesus. (Ephesians 2:13)
  • I am redeemed. (Ephesians 1:7)
  • I am loved. (1 John 4:10)
  • I am treasured. (1 John 3:1)
  • I am cherished. (Zephaniah 3:17)
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The Christian Life isn’t a Competition

I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error]. (2 Timothy 4:7, AMP)

Reflecting back on the Olympics, I see a team spirit and oneness of those who competed. How many times did you see teammates cheering on the sidelines excited that Michael Phelps earned one more medal? Or the gymnasts who cheered each other on? Or the diving athletes David Boudia and Steele Johnson who gave God the glory and shared that their identitiy is in Christ, not an Olympic medal? Read more

Purifying

Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering…. The love of God did not protect His own Son…. He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process. (Elisabeth Elliot)

Rhythms

To follow Jesus implies that we enter into a way of life that is given character and shape and direction by the one who calls us. To follow Jesus means picking up rhythms and ways of doing things that are often unsaid but always derivative from Jesus, formed by the influence of Jesus. To follow Jesus means that we can’t separate what Jesus is saying from what Jesus is doing and the way that he is doing it. To follow Jesus is as much, or maybe even more, about feet as it is about ears and eyes (The Way of Jesus, Eugene H. Peterson).