The Anchor

 

Romans 7: 13—23: “Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good. In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.”

Last night, as is usually the case when I cannot sleep, I thought about people who have found salvation and then drift from it like the ebbing of the waves moving a ship farther from shore until it becomes lost. I could imagine being swept out to sea, pulled under and sinking deeper and deeper into the dark waters. And it dawned on me… the world is like a huge pool of water that will consume you if you let it. On the surface it seems good and wonderful but as you sink deeper in the depths of it, there is a darkness and coldness that can easily overtake you.

Col 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

When we drown, it isn’t the shore that wanders away, it is us who wander into the water, lose our foothold and then our way. I am thinking in terms of students who leave the program (Teen Challenge) though this can apply to anyone. When students leave the program, whether they complete the phases or leave prematurely, we always pray for them and hope that they have learned to hold onto and turn to God when trouble or darkness comes. We don’t stop loving them because they are gone. They are, after all, god’s children also.

 But I know that life can be its own distraction, pulling us away from fellowship and the Word. We get busy with a job, raising a family and financial strains. Going to college and being too tired or busy to stay connected to others or God. Some may struggle with unequally yolked spouses who are demanding of our time and attention. Students may want to reconnect with people who are still in the ‘old way’ of life that makes it difficult for them to be “Christian” with those old friends. Or finding new friends and denying Christ, and taking on less than perfect behaviors, because it isn’t cool to be Christian. All of these things are real concerns.

The student’s old life often times causes great rifts in familial relationships. The struggle to go back into the same environment and yet be totally different can be exhausting. Family may be unforgiving. I mean, while the student had the benefit of years in the program to heal and grow, the family were still in the world. They didn’t have the benefit of ‘counsel,’ books on forgiveness, brokenness and spiritual growth. Often times, the brokenness at home can draw the students back into despair.

It is like going home where people know you and don’t believe the person God has made you to be. They only see you for who you were. That can be frustrating and cause us to fall into doubt and unbelief.

Luke 4:24: “"Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

Isaiah 53: 6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

And I realize that in times in my life when I have felt alone or defeated or distressed, it has usually been because I wandered away and stopped hanging onto my hope and faith. Not sin, per se, but I would not maintain the relationship and closeness that I once had. I would get distracted by work, by laziness, by electronics (I love playing Fishdom to relax). It is so easy to pick up my tablet instead of my scripture. And if you think that isn’t falling away, think again. How quickly the waters can overtake us and drag us under. How quickly we can slip into our old character because it is there and our Holy Spirit is sleeping.

Romans 15:4: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

It is a lot like my various degrees. I spent years in college learning and, at 60, have had a full gamut of life skills. For example, I loved electronics. I had gone to college and received my associate’s degree in electronic technology. I worked at Motorola for years learning and improving this skill. After they laid off most of the American work force for greener pastures, I went to college again for justice studies. After I completed, I was offered a job at Intel, another electronics company. Mind you, I was very proficient at my job at Motorola. However, Intel wanted me to pass a test. She encouraged me to take the chance of testing and said it would come back to me. I decided against it. I had been away from the job for a year or more and was convinced that I couldn’t site the Ohms Law or any other formula I once knew. It is true: if you don’t use it, you lose it.

And tell me this, if you don’t read the bible, how do you know what to expect when the end does come? Will you believe the one who says that he is god because he performs miracles and wonders? Will you know what events take place first? Will your heart be right with the Lord or did you abandon ship?

2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Hebrews 2 1-3: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

Isaiah 59:2: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

The pull is always there… waiting. It is as if we are anchored in the water but our chain is too long. We ebb and flow with the waters and forget that we are anchored. It is a steady struggle to remain constant and vigilant against the waves and storms that come. We often ignore our life preserver… our one true hope.

I don’t want to do what I want to do, I want to do what I should do to stay close to the Light.