March 8, 2017
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Will Your Anchor Hold?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Lord, the Holy Scriptures are open before me. Let no dullness or preoccupation heed me from hearing Your voice.

Read Hebrews 6:13–20

[13] When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, [14] saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” [15] And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. [16] People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. [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.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?” (Priscilla J. Owens, 1829–1907).

The words of the hymn make it sound at first as if it is up to us to make sure we have a good anchor. We do indeed have to choose—to follow Jesus, not to drift away—but our steadfastness depends on looking to Jesus, the source of our hope (19). Once again the message of Hebrews is repeated, the writer piling picture on picture to get this central point across: we are responsible for how we live, but we do it with great God-given resources.

Or to express it another way, we are saved by grace though faith in Jesus. Our forerunner (20) has opened the way through the curtain that formerly closed off the Holy of Holies to people such as us, but as his Spirit changes us to make us more like Jesus, we have to ensure that there is room in our lives for the relationship he offers. It is not about keeping rules but putting in place disciplines that maximize and guard our time together. We do this in a good marriage. We come into a lifelong relationship with love and respect, but that is only the beginning. We must work at it; we must persevere! If a behavior or habit undermines our relationship it must be reassessed. If life is being lived too fast or too separate, something has to change. That is part of our commitment to each other.

Unfortunately, sometimes in relationships, including in marriage, we are given reason to question the other’s commitment to us. We feel vulnerable, as if walking on eggshells around them. It is never that way with Jesus. We can trust his unconditional acceptance of us absolutely. That will make us want to live up to his expectations (with his help).  

Apply

Are you working with Jesus or against his easy yoke which gives us rest (Matt. 11:28–30)?

Closing prayer

God of Hope, You alone are my anchor. I can count on You when my plans are ruined and my dreams don’t come true. You are my everlasting rock!

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