Links In A Chain

“The Navy’s USS Dwight D. Eisenhower weighs 95,000 tons, carries more than 6000 sailors, and serves 18,000 meals a day. It has two anchors. Each anchor weighs 60,000 lbs and is attached to a chain that weighs 665,000 lbs. Each solitary link in that chain weighs 365 lbs.. Every ship has an anchor that is at the end of a long series of individual links. If you trace those links one by one, you will eventually get to the anchor. It is the anchor that keeps the ship from drifting” (House to House, Heart to Heart, Vol. 29, #9).

The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament uses the image of an anchor to describe the hope we have in the finished work of Christ as our High Priest. “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:17–20 NAS95).

Our ship of faith needs to be linked to Christ, the anchor of our hope. But there are many links in the chain that connects us to our Redeemer. For example, one link could be the person or persons who kindled the initial flames of faith in our lives as a youngster -- perhaps a parent or grandparent (2 Timothy 1:5). Another link might be a friend who encouraged our spiritual growth. Other links could be members of the congregation that we attend. Each link, working together, to connect us to the Anchor.

Are you a link in someone else’s chain of faith?

God loves you!

Mike

A Master Craftsman

“Grampa and granddaughter were sitting in her room when she asked, “Grampa, did God make you?” “Yes, God made me,” he answered. A few moments later, she asked “Did God make me?” Again, the answer was “Yes.” She looked in the mirror for a while, then said, “You know, God is doing a whole lot better work lately” (preaching.com).

We are all a work in progress, aren’t we? The Scriptures affirm this in several places. When we read what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, we learn that believers are God’s ‘...workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Ephesians 2:10). It has been His plan from the beginning for all of his children “...to become conformed to the image of His Son…” (Romans 8:29). What can we learn from the Bible about God’s workmanship?

God works in us to accomplish His purposes, not our own. While the brothers and sisters in Philippi were to “...work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” (Philippians 2:12), Paul then goes on to say that “...it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

God provides everything we need to do His will as He works in us. “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20–21).

God never leaves a job unfinished. As Paul thanked God for how the Philippian Christians shared in his gospel work, he reminded them that “...He who began a good work in you will perfect (bring to completion, MJA) it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

God is a master craftsman. He wants to transform you. How about it? Are you ready for a renovation?

God loves you!

Mike

True Value

“In February 1986, at a gem-and-mineral bazaar in Tucson, Arizona, an amateur rockhound sold an egg-sized, violet-and-blue stone to Texas gemologist Roy Whetstine for $10 — the original asking price was $15, but Whetstine talked him down. After months of rigorous appraisal, Whetstine made an announcement about his $10 rock: it was a 1,905-carat star sapphire with an estimated, uncut value of $2.28 million. His good fortune was not just good luck. He points out, “I was used to handling rocks and saying, ‘Yeah, that’s a keeper’ or ‘That’s no good’.” The difference between a rock hound and a gemologist, between the amateur’s $10 rock and Whetstine’s $2.28 million find, is an eye and feel for value. The difference between heaven and hell, eternal regret or eternal reward, is an eye for the truly valuable things in life” (Craig Brian Larson, preaching.com).

An appraiser is someone who assesses the value of something -- like a house, a car, or even a rock. In most cases, it takes years of training and experience to be good at the job. But there is a sense in which all of us are appraisers. No, we haven’t been to school for it. We don’t have a business license. We aren’t even listed with the Better Business Bureau. But every day, we make spiritual value judgments. We assess what is truly important to us and what is not. And those appraisals affect our thinking and actions.

Here are some questions to ask ourselves as we think about the value judgments we make.  Do I love the things of the world more than I love God (1 John 2:15-17)? Do I desire the approval of men more than the approval of God (John 12:42-43)? Do I love evil things more than good things (Psalm 52:1-4)? If my answer to any of these questions reveal that my value system is out of whack, what can I do? The apostle Paul would tell me to refocus on the surpassing value of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8). All else should pale in comparison.

God loves you!

Mike

Flameproof

In a Nov. 23, 2023 article, Jonathon Ramsey reports the following: There's been quite some noise from our online neighbors in the past few days thanks to a Kia Sorento, a fire, a Stanley thermal mug, and a magnanimous offer. TikTok user Danielle, who goes by danimarielettering, had her Kia Sorento catch on fire recently. From the looks of her video taken after the fire, it appears only the forward and upper portions of the SUV caught the worst of the flames... As she approaches the wreck and reaches in, she says, "Everybody’s so concerned about if the Stanley spills, but what about if it melts?" Then she grabs the Stanley thermos in the cupholder and shakes it. "Fire yesterday," she says. "Still has ice in it." Danielle captioned the vid with, "Thirsty after you catch on fire? @Stanley1913 is like no problem i gotchu."  That hit the "VIRAL!" button and the horde came clicking with nearly 84 million views and 60,000 comments at the time of writing.* Kudos to the Stanley company for manufacturing a quality product that can beat the heat!

As I read the story, I got to thinking about how followers of Christ are also flame resistant. In fact, heat can actually make us stronger. The apostle Peter had some things to say about this early in his first letter to believers who were experiencing the fires of persecution: “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 1:6–7; cf 4:12).

For believers, heat doesn’t mean defeat. Instead, fiery trials can be used by God to test our faith -- to refine us and make us stronger (cf. James 1:3). Our faith can make us flameproof.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.autoblog.com/features/stanley-mug-survives-a-car-fire-so-stanley-replaces-both-mug-and-car

Wake Up!

“The family stopped at a roadside motel for the night, and early the next morning Mom was getting things organized in the car trunk. Still groggy, she stepped back into what she thought was her room, saw a sleeping man she presumed to be her husband, and yelled, “Get out of bed!” Upon closer examination she realized that this was not her room or her husband, and as she quickly left the room she heard him exclaim, “Boy, this is some wake-up service!”*

Abrupt and forceful wake-up calls are rarely pleasant but sometimes very necessary. In the book of Revelation, the Risen Lord had a wake-up call for the church in Sardis. This group of believers in Asia Minor had a reputation for being alive. But it was just a facade. Jesus looked past the outward props and declared that they were really dead inside (Rev. 3:1). Apparently they hadn’t completely flat-lined yet because he told them to “Wake up!” from their spiritual slumber. There was yet time to strengthen the vital signs that remained (Rev. 3:2).

How had this church come to this life-threatening situation? They had forgotten what they had been taught about true spiritual life. They had grown lax in applying the truth in their lives. So the remedy would be to remember and repent (Rev. 3:3). They couldn’t keep doing what they had been doing and expect to live. Changes had to be made or judgment would come.

Thankfully, the group had one good thing going for them. There were still some disciples who hadn’t traveled with the majority down the path of forgetfulness and sin (Rev. 3:4). Hopefully the influence of these faithful ones would lead the rest in a resurgence of life. Even though they were on life support, there was yet time to be overcomers and be truly alive (Rev. 3:5).

Do I need a wake-up call? “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11–12)

God loves you!

Mike

*preaching.com

Recognizing Real Treasure

“One of the largest known amber nuggets in the world, valued at around €1 million, has been found in the home of an elderly woman in Romania. The woman, who found the 3.5-kilogram (7.7 lb) stone in the bed of a stream in Colti, a village in the southeast of the Eastern European country, used it as a simple doorstop for decades without anyone realizing its value…Members of the owner’s family reported that the old lady was the victim of a break-in in which only a few pieces of gold jewelry of little value were stolen, while the amber nugget was completely ignored. “In their frantic search for valuables, they overlooked the real treasure that was there before their eyes,” they said.”*

It’s so easy to overlook what is truly precious in life. The apostle Paul highlights this in his letter to the Philippian church. In 3:1-7, he lists several things that were precious to him at one point in his life. But after becoming a disciple of Christ, such things didn’t carry so much value anymore. He describes the upheaval of his value system this way: “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8–11).

Christ and His church were viewed as a doorstop by Saul of Tarsus. Paul the apostle viewed them as a priceless possession. How do we value them? Do our lives reflect our assessment?

God loves you!

Mike

*https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-03/elderly-romanian-woman-used-amber-nugget-worth-over-1-million-as-a-doorstop-for-decades.html

Where Did The Time Go?

“The life expectancy for the average woman in the United States is 81 years and 2 months. For men, it’s 76 years and 5 months. These are the most recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just subtract your current age from those numbers for a rough estimate of how many years you have left.”*

How many years left? Sobering thought, isn’t it? Especially for those who are closer to the end than the beginning. Do you remember when you were younger? How you couldn’t wait to get older? Years seemed to slowly drag by when you wanted to be old enough to drive, to get married, to get a good paying job, etc.. But now that you are older, the yearly pace seems to have picked up. A minute is still sixty seconds long. But you could swear time goes by much quicker. The years past on your timeline now outnumber the years left. Where did the time go?

As we contemplate these things, remember that we are more than a statistic. If you are a believer, you know that the passage of time is not as important as how you pass the time you have left. Like Moses, we should number our days, not so much to determine how many we have left but to use them to learn to live wisely before God (Psalm 90:12). Rather than being concerned with how many opportunities we have left, we should make the most of every opportunity we have been given (Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5). Even when it appears that statistically we have time left, we don’t boast about tomorrow because we don’t know what tomorrow may bring (Proverbs 27:1).

Don’t live in the past or the future. Live in the present. A Christian isn’t limited by their earthly timeline. “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

God loves you!

Mike

*flowingdata.com