My Security, My Anchor

It’s funny how God can speak to you through relationships with others if you are practiced in listening with spiritual ears and know His voice. I wonder how many times the things that look like faults in others are not my own relational issues with my Heavenly Father?

One such thing was brought to my attention early this morning just as clear as rays of sun shining through tree branches deep in the dark woods as it rises in the morning. His mercy is new every morning the question is will I receive it? Sometimes the things I hold onto for the purpose of security are the very things that keep me from knowing Him better and therefore impact my faith, my ability to love unselfishly, even my spiritual vision and purpose. My ability to give away freely that which has been given to me requires that I remember this. I am reminded those things that make me feel secure keep me from growing and anchor me. The familiar often is the enemy of faith and the freedom that comes from knowing Christ Jesus.

Christ is to be my anchor in the storms of life, for that is who we’ve all been made to be and also the reason why we sometimes feel the need to anchor to lesser things (if we don't chase after Him with all of our hearts we are left to our own devices). You see we want to anchor to things we trust in and the battle is this - our flesh tells us to hold fast to our careers, retirement plans, bank accounts, the cars we drive, even what seems good and right like giving back to the community with "our" time and money. Yes the enemy of God is sneaky and his plans are only revealed when God shines His light through the trees in the woods of our spiritual lives. All these things give us a sense of security and they tell us, “I’m good and of value". Like the rich man who tore down his barns to build bigger ones (Luke 12:18) I have a plan for the future but without Christ the value I bring is worthless and one might even say this way of thinking stirs God’s wrath against us, at least in the parable of the man who trusted in his money more than God as Jesus told.

Our value is not in what we do but who’s we are (if you belong to Jesus). When we are saved our value changes and no longer depends on how good we are. This morning I think God is telling me, “My son let go of these things then trust and follow me.” For I know the place I want to be can only be found by following the unseen. Yes I must walk with my eyes closed and learn to listen to the footsteps of the Master in order to see where I am going. It’s not easy but this one thing I know, my Redeemer will not crush me for trying and failing. If I belong to Christ then I must harbor hope within me at all times for this hope is the prerequisite of faith and we know without faith it is impossible to please God.