Find Hope and Joy in THE Anchor

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  The hope of Christ anchors your soul and fills you with His joy.

            Hebrews 6:19 is a source of strength when we are going through a storm. The New King James Version says it like this: 

^19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” 

            Let’s examine the words:  HOPE, ANCHOR and STEADFAST. The steadfast love of our Father keeps us anchored as we find hope in Him. 

·         Steadfast: that means unwavering, faithful, constant.  How beautifully that describes our Heavenly Father’s love! 

·         Anchor: We use the noun “anchor” often when we are speaking of a boat or a ship in the water.  An anchor holds the vessel in place and keeps it from moving away from its desired location or position. 

·         Hope: Biblical hope is not an escape from reality.  It doesn’t let us drift along without a destination. When our hope is based on God’s Word and His promises, it will give us direction. 

          Our faith in God is like an anchor, holding us ‘in place’ so that He can lovingly direct our course.  Never forget the hope that is always available to each child of God.

            Hold steadfastly to The Anchor and find hope and joy in the Lord.

The Anchor of Joy...Unshakable!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Your portion of joy is the anchor you need to be safe through the storms of life.

            There is a beautiful song by Hillsong entitled: “ANCHOR”. As I listened to and carefully examined the lyrics, I realized that surely it had to have been written by someone who had been through some tough, rough storms of life.  A strong faith in God is our anchor of hope.  Listen to the words of this song: 

“I have this hope. As an anchor for my soul through every storm, I will hold to You.

With endless love all my fear is swept away; In everything I will trust in You.

The CHORUS says:
There is hope in the promise of the cross.
You gave everything to save the world You love.
And this hope is an anchor for my soul.

Our God will stand…Unshakeable!”

            Isn’t this a beautiful expression of how God holds us in the storms?  Our hope is in Him….and that hope gives us an anchor. He is unshakeable!

           You may be in the midst of a storm right now.  Maybe you’ve just come through a rough one. One may be coming soon! To be prepared, let’s firmly take hold of The Anchor. There is hope in God and joy in the Lord!

"Rooted and Established in Love" (& Joy)

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Hold on tightly to your serving…especially in the midst of a storm. 

            Floods, tornadoes and hurricanes wreak havoc on everything in their path! The aftermath brings devastation. Homes, businesses, treasures and keepsakes are ruined…and sadly… precious lives are often lost.  Storms can be frightening!  

            How can we be spiritually prepared to face the storms of life?  They will surely come. In Lysa TerKeurst’s newest book, Uninvited, she writes:

If we live rooted and established in His love, we don’t just have knowledge of His love in our minds, but it becomes a reality that anchors us.  Though winds of hurt and rejection blow, they cannot uproot us and rip us apart.  His love holds us.  His love grounds us.  His love is a glorious weight preventing the harsh words and hurtful situations from being a destructive force.  We feel the wind but aren’t destroyed by it.  This is the “fullness of God” mentioned in Ephesians 3. Verses 17-19 say: 

 “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

            May we all be rooted and anchored in the love of Jesus.