October 16, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"Spiritual Rebirth"
2 Peter 1:5-7
New International Version
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?" is a line from the hymn by Priscilla Owens. The nineteenth century was an era of ships on the sea, storms, and anchors, so one is not surprised to read lyrics like these: "We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll; fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love." According to the Hebrew writer, God not only promised that his heirs would inherit everlasting life, but he also confirmed it with a divine oath. How much more assurance could anyone ask? In the midst of family crises and breathtaking health scares, you and I need something to hang onto when all seems lost. In a world of transient values, fluctuating markets, corporate buyouts, and political uncertainty, we long for strength, stability, and security. In the imagery of the Hebrew writer, our anchor for the soul is founding nothing less than God's own solemn word. Do you find it interesting that God tells us not to swear with oaths, but rather to let our word be our bond? God's swearing in this instance is in the form of a judicial oath, not simply a crass profanity invoking the name of some deity. Unlike us, God never lies. But to give us added assurance, God swears by his own righteousness that what he has promised us is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So whatever the storm we face, God's own promise is our constant anchor. Just how refreshing is that in a world where truth is the first casualty of human existence!
The question of truth is: If God is faithful to every word he utters, how faithful am I to every word I utter?
