ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 30, 2011)

Witnesses
Acts 1:6-11

"'...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"
(Acts 1:8)
As a church planter, I can empathize a bit with the early disciples in today's reading. They had just experienced first-hand the most important events in human history and they were wondering as they looked into the future, "What next now that Jesus was raised? What will be our place?" While Jesus doesn't directly answer their question concerning the kingdom, He does give them important information about their role, referring to them as His "witnesses."
By using this image, Jesus signals the fact that their primary task as His disciples was to bear witness to Him and His work. Their speech and conduct ought to be like flashing arrows pointing to the work of Christ and its sufficiency for salvation. This meant that boasting in their own accomplishments and abilities was simply out of the question. Christ was to be the substance of their testimony and their boasting. They're assured that their testimony would be taken to the ends of the earth - to us! - through the power of the Holy Spirit.

INSIGHT
Is Christ the main character of your testimony?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 31-32
Psalm 146
1 Timothy 1-2
Acts 1:6-11
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 29, 2011)

The 144,000
Numbers 1:1-46;
Revelation 7:1-8

"Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel."
(Revelation 7:4)
No small amount of mystery and controversy surrounds the interpretation of our reading today. Those issues notwithstanding, John tells his original hearers that blessing is to be found in the reading and hearing of this visionary letter, which would include this passage (Revelation 1:3). So, what blessing can we obtain from this image?
The background provided by Numbers 1 suggests that this image of the church gets at her militant character in this age. The church is an army of tightly regimented and sealed disciples who fight not against political regimes but against the world, the flesh, and the devil. We don't fight with guns or tanks, but with the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). Yet we are fighting a battle whose final outcome has already been secured. This army's General is the Lamb of God who conquered the forces of sin by laying down His life for His enemies. So we can fight with courage, knowing that the victory belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).
INSIGHT
"Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, going on before!"
(S.B. Gould, 1865)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 29-30
Psalm 145
2Thessalonians 1-3

Numbers 1:1-46;
Registration of Israel’s Troops
1 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle[a] in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month[b] of that year he said, 2 "From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men 3 twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops, 4 and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.
5 "These are the tribes and the names of the leaders who will assist you:
Tribe — Leader
Reuben — Elizur son of Shedeur
6 Simeon — Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
7 Judah — Nahshon son of Amminadab
8 Issachar — Nethanel son of Zuar
9 Zebulun — Eliab son of Helon
10 Ephraim son of Joseph — Elishama son of Ammihud
Manasseh son of Joseph — Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
11 Benjamin — Abidan son of Gideoni
12 Dan — Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
13 Asher — Pagiel son of Ocran
14 Gad — Eliasaph son of Deuel
15 Naphtali — Ahira son of Enan
16 These are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel."
17 So Moses and Aaron called together these chosen leaders, 18 and they assembled the whole community of Israel on that very day.[c] All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel who were twenty years old or older were listed one by one, 19 just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So Moses recorded their names in the wilderness of Sinai.
20-21 This is the number of men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, as their names were listed in the records of their clans and families[d]:
Tribe — Number
Reuben (Jacob’s[e] oldest son) — 46,500
22-23 Simeon — 59,300
24-25 Gad — 45,650
26-27 Judah — 74,600
28-29 Issachar — 54,400
30-31 Zebulun — 57,400
32-33 Ephraim son of Joseph — 40,500
34-35 Manasseh son of Joseph — 32,200
36-37 Benjamin — 35,400
38-39 Dan — 62,700
40-41 Asher — 41,500
42-43 Naphtali — 53,400
44 These were the men registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. 45 They were registered by families—all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older and able to go to war. 46 The total number was 603,550.
Footnotes:
a. Numbers 1:1 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.
b. Numbers 1:1 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in April or May.
c. Numbers 1:18 Hebrew on the first day of the second month; see 1:1.
d. Numbers 1:20 In the Hebrew text, this phrase (This is the number of men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, as their names were listed in the records of their clans and families) is repeated in 1:22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42.
e. Numbers 1:20 Hebrew Israel’s. The names "Jacob" and "Israel" are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Revelation 7:1-8
or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 "Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants."
4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:
5 from Judah — 12,000
from Reuben — 12,000
from Gad — 12,000
6 from Asher — 12,000
from Naphtali — 12,000
from Manasseh — 12,000
7 from Simeon — 12,000
from Levi — 12,000
from Issachar — 12,000
8 from Zebulun — 12,000
from Joseph — 12,000
from Benjamin — 12,000
New Living Translation (NLT)

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 29, 2011)

The Fellowship of the Spirit
Joel 2:28-32; 2 Corinthians 13:14

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people."
(Joel 2:28)
When you consider the likelihood of the church's success on this earth, the chances are slim. How did a group of uneducated Jewish fishermen pull it off? How did the imperial strength of Rome not crush this fledgling movement in its infant stages? The answer to such questions lies in the title for today's meditation.
The church is the fellowship (or communion) of the Holy Spirit. That means that God the Holy Spirit - the third person of the Holy Trinity - is the one creating the church. Just as the Spirit hovered over the primordial waters in the first creation (Genesis 1:2), so He hovers over the church as His second and new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). A rag-tag bunch of fishermen served as the new covenant's first apostles because the Spirit had been poured out on them (Acts 2:1-4). Rome couldn't crush the church because God was creating it, and no one can frustrate His purposes (Psalm 115:3). God's Word does not return void because the Spirit makes hearers' hearts ready to accept it.
INSIGHT
Who is building your church?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 23-24
Psalm 142
1 Thessalonians 1-2
Joel 2:28-32;
The Day of the LORD
28 "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
even among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.[a]
Footnotes:
a. Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.
2 Corinthians 13:14 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 28, 2011)

Unleavened Bread
1 Corinthians 5

"Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?"
(1 Corinthians 5:6)
Sadly, the story is all too familiar. A relatively small conflict sparks in the life of a church. Those involved fail to deal with their differences biblically and instead allow the embers of hostility to smolder under the surface for months or even years. But before long what began as a spark is an out-of-control wildfire. Pastors are fired. Long-time members are ousted. Churches are split along party lines. Indeed, a little leaven does work through the whole batch of dough.
In times like these, the church needs to be reminded of its identity as unleavened dough. Just as the baker will not even knead dough in the same room as yeast, so also the church ought to be ever vigilant to root out any and every sin that could spread through the entire congregation - no matter how small. Christ, the Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed, constituting us as unleavened (i.e., pure). Therefore, the church today must live in light of that reality, seeking to maintain its purity through sincerity and truth.
INSIGHT
Is there any "leaven" in your life or your church that needs to be removed?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 25-26
Psalm 143
1 Thessalonians 3-4
1 Corinthians 5

Dealing With a Case of Incest
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you."[d]
Footnotes:
a. 1 Corinthians 5:5 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
b. 1 Corinthians 5:5 Or of his body
c. 1 Corinthians 5:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in 8:11, 13.
d. 1 Corinthians 5:13 Deut. 13:5; 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21,24; 24:7

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 27, 2011)

Ambassadors
2 Corinthians 5:11-21

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
(2 Corinthians 5:20)
As I write, the Middle East and North Africa are experiencing one of the greatest political upheavals in modern history. Rulers of two countries have been toppled by protests, and civil war beckons in Libya. Recently the Libyan ambassador to the United States resigned, no longer able to support the policies and practices of his home country.
This image of an ambassador sheds light on an important aspect of the church's ministry. The church does not represent itself. Rather, we are ambassadors - official representatives - of God's coming kingdom that has begun with the coming of Christ. We receive our marching orders from Him. We represent and promote His policies and practices. And we have the promise that Christ will be with us to the end of the age. This identity is both freeing and challenging. It is freeing because it means we do not depend on our own wisdom to represent Christ. We simply point to Him and His Word. But it also challenges us to know His policies that we might rep-resent Him faithfully.

INSIGHT
Praise God that He has chosen to use us to accomplish His work on earth.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 27-28
Psalm 144
1 Thessalonians 5
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
We Are God’s Ambassadors
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.[c] 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Corinthians 5:12 Some manuscripts read proud of yourselves.
b. 2 Corinthians 5:14 Or urges us on.
c. 2 Corinthians 5:14 Greek Since one died for all, then all died.
d. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Or to become sin itself.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 26, 2011)

A Living Sacrifice
Romans 12:1-2;
Hebrews 10:1-18

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice..."
(Romans 12:1, ESV)
The New Testament makes abundantly clear that Christ's sacrifice of Himself on the cross renders obsolete the Old Testament sacrificial system. No more blood of animals now needs to be offered because the Sacrifice to which they pointed has finally been made, cleansing the consciences of God's worshippers (Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.). It is finished.
While animal and grain sacrifices have ceased, that doesn't mean Christians don't offer sacrifices. We don't slaughter a bull when we sin, but God still does expect a sacrifice - a different one - from His people. First, we are the sacrifice. Notice that Paul exhorts us to offer our "bodies" (plural) as "a living sacrifice" (singular). When the church gathers to praise our Redeemer, we are offering a pleasing sacrifice to God. Second, we are a living sacrifice. Unlike the sacrificial animals, we remain alive. Also, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds into people who can know, delight in, and obey God's will for us. He is our all-sufficient sacrifice!
INSIGHT
"Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears. The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears."
(Charles Wesley, 1742)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 19-20
Psalm 140
Colossians 1-2
Romans 12:1-2;
A Living Sacrifice
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Hebrews 10:1-18
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’"[a]
8 First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them"—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 "This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds."[b]
17 Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."[c]
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Footnotes:
a. Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
b. Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33
c. Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 25, 2011)

The Elect
Ezekiel 16:1-22;
Romans 9:1-18

It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."
(Romans 9:16)
Everyone loves to be chosen. Every sandlot athlete loves to be picked for the team. A bride rejoices at having been chosen as her groom's beloved. Civil servants celebrate the winning of an election. Yet when God uses the image of His people as His "elect" (or "chosen ones") He has something quite different in mind.
In the human examples above, the chosen one is chosen because they were attractive in some way: the best athlete, the most beautiful bride, the most competent politician. But the Scriptures make clear that the Lord chose us while we were unattractive. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). There was nothing deserving in us that could merit God's love and affection. All we deserved was God's eternal wrath and curse. Yet He chose us in spite of ourselves! He set His everlasting love on us and chose us to be His own, knowing He would take on Himself the price of choosing us. He did so knowing that it would cost the life of His Son. Praise be to God!
INSIGHT
"'Tis not that I did choose Thee, for, Lord, that could not be; This heart would still refuse Thee, but Thou hast chosen me."
(Josiah Conder, 1836)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 21-22
Psalm 141
Colossians 3-4
Ezekiel 16:1-22;
Jerusalem—an Unfaithful Wife
1 Then another message came to me from the Lord: 2 "Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable sins. 3 Give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: You are nothing but a Canaanite! Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth. 5 No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die.
6 "But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘Live!’ 7 And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked. 8 And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
9 "Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin. 10 I gave you expensive clothing of fine linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine goatskin leather. 11 I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces, 12 a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head. 13 And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods—choice flour, honey, and olive oil—and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were! 14 Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign Lord.
15 "But you thought your fame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking. 16 You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen? 17 You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me! 18 You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them. 19 Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord.
20 "Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough? 21 Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols? 22 In all your years of adultery and detestable sin, you have not once remembered the days long ago when you lay naked in a field, kicking about in your own blood.
Romans 9:1-18
God’s Selection of Israel
1 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. 4 They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.[c]
6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! 7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,"[d] though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 For God had promised, "I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."[e]
10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.[f] 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, "Your older son will serve your younger son."[g] 13 In the words of the Scriptures, "I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau."[h]
14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses,
"I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
and I will show compassion to anyone I choose."[i]
16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.
17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, "I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth."[j] 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 9:3 Greek my brothers.
b. Romans 9:4 Greek chosen for sonship.
c. Romans 9:5 Or May God, the one who rules over everything, be praised forever. Amen.
d. Romans 9:7 Gen 21:12.
e. Romans 9:9 Gen 18:10, 14.
f. Romans 9:10 Greek she conceived children through this one man.
g. Romans 9:12 Gen 25:23.
h. Romans 9:13 Mal 1:2-3.
i. Romans 9:15 Exod 33:19.
j. Romans 9:17 Exod 9:16 (Greek version).

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 24, 2011)

The Church
Nehemiah 8:1-8;
Hebrews 12:18-29

But you have come...to the church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven."
(Hebrews 12:22-23)
What exactly is a church? We may associate the word "church" with buildings and steeples and stained glass. "That's my church," we say as we show our friends around our new neighborhood. But a closer study of the Scriptures will press us to reconsider what we mean by church.
The Greek word most commonly translated "church" in the NT is ekklesia, which means "gathering" or "assembly." In common, first-century use, it referred to a group of people called out from their everyday activities for a civic meeting or for soldiers in battle. So, first and foremost, the church is a gathering of people! This has profound implications for the way we view our lives as Christians. If the church is a gathering, then belonging to a church means much more than just having our name on a list. It means we will regularly be part of God's gathered people. We will make every effort to gather for worship (not Internet "church"). We will gather for fellowship and encouragement. And we will ultimately be gathered into one when Christ returns.

INSIGHT
Are you part of God's gathered people? Give thanks that God doesn't allow us to do life on our own.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 17-18
Psalm 139
Philippians 3-4
Nehemiah 8:1-8;
1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
Footnotes:
a. Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it

Hebrews 12:18-29
New Living Translation (NLT)
18 You have not come to a physical mountain,[a] to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."[b] 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, "I am terrified and trembling."[c]
22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also."[d] 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.
28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.
Footnotes:
a. Hebrews 12:18 Greek to something that can be touched.
b. Hebrews 12:20 Exod 19:13.
c. Hebrews 12:21 Deut 9:19.
d. Hebrews 12:26 Hag 2:6.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 23, 2011)

Sons of the Light
1 Thessalonians 5

"You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness."
(1 Thessalonians 5:5)
As a father of two small boys, I know well the experience of being woken up in the middle of the night by a crying little one. I know the fumbling around in the darkness to their rooms. The difference between light and dark in those situations can be the difference between safe passage and a stubbed toe. Living (and walking) in the light makes a big difference.
The apostle Paul has a similar idea in mind when he refers to the church here as "sons of the light". Formerly, we lived in darkness - completely unaware of God's presence and purpose in this world. But now that we are sons of light, we will not be caught by surprise when Christ returns. We will be awake, spiritually speaking, and will be careful to watch our own lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ (see v. 11). By the light of His Word, we will follow the path of faith and repentance. And we can have the confidence that our light will never be extinguished, for the light we have is God's own light (Psalm 118:27).
INSIGHT
Do you ever find yourself spiritually sleepy? Draw near to God who is light
(1 John 1:5).
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 15-16
Psalm 138
Philippians 1-2
1 Thessalonians 5
The Day of the Lord
1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Final Instructions
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS November 22, 2011

Heart Issues
Jeremiah 24:1-10

"I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."
(Jeremiah 24:7)
Our sinful world lives under continual stress, trouble, and conflict. Often we feel that strain personally as others take advantage of us or use us for their own success. The wounds that are left go deep; the bruises take long to heal.
Thoughts of this took me to the passage where God's people, the "good figs," were exiled to Babylon. During those years of captivity, God would refine the exiles, and because their hearts were open to Him even in captivity, His blessing would be upon them. As the "good figs" were protected and cared for by their owner, so the exiles of 597 B.C. would be cared for by the Lord. Through it God's desire was that they would know Him intimately and thus see Him as Lord even through those difficult years.
It is often through the privilege of adversity - sometimes from within our circle of friends, family, or other believers - that God will refine our spirit. The results are that we become stronger and realize our ultimate dependence can be nowhere else than upon Him.
INSIGHT
To protect our heart, we need the offensive weapon of His Word, memorized and applied to every heart issue.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Nehemiah 12-13
Psalm 37
Mark 16

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 21, 2011)

The Kingdom of God
2 Samuel 7:1-17;
Acts 2:14-36

"Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"
(2 Samuel 7:16)
These words would have certainly sounded strange in David's ears. He already lived in a house (2 Samuel 7:1), but the Lord promises that He will build him a house (v. 11). He had rest from his enemies (v. 1), yet more rest is still promised (v. 11). He was already a king, yet the Lord promised that another king would come from his line and whose kingdom would be established forever (v. 13). A long line of kings and kingdoms would follow after David - some good, but most of them bad. With each successive king the reader of Scripture is left wondering, "Could this be the promised king?" Of course, such hopes are quickly dashed.
Yet in our second reading Peter announces to the crowds at Pentecost that the final King has arrived in Jesus. That's what he means when he says that Jesus has been "exalted to the right hand of God" (v. 33). Jesus is now reigning as your King at God's right hand. He is at work making sworn enemies into loyal subjects. And His kingdom is established forever.

INSIGHT
As a follower of Jesus, you too share in His kingship and rule.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 11-12
Psalm 136
Ephesians 3-4

2 Samuel 7:1-17;
God’s Promise to David
1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."
3 Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."
4 But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:
5 "Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"’
8 "Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders[a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
"‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’"
17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Samuel 7:11 Traditionally judges
b. 2 Samuel 7:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts you
Acts 2:14-36
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 "‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[a]
22 "Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[b] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
"‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[c]
29 "Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
"‘The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."’[d]
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."
Footnotes:
a. Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32
b. Acts 2:23 Or of those not having the law (that is, Gentiles)
c. Acts 2:28 Psalm 16:8-11 (see Septuagint)
d. Acts 2:35 Psalm 110:1

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 20, 2011)

Branches of the Vine

Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1-17

"Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"
(2 Samuel 7:16)
These words would have certainly sounded strange in David's ears. He already lived in a house (2 Samuel 7:1), but the Lord promises that He will build him a house (v. 11). He had rest from his enemies (v. 1), yet more rest is still promised (v. 11). He was already a king, yet the Lord promised that another king would come from his line and whose kingdom would be established forever (v. 13). A long line of kings and kingdoms would follow after David - some good, but most of them bad. With each successive king the reader of Scripture is left wondering, "Could this be the promised king?" Of course, such hopes are quickly dashed.
Yet in our second reading Peter announces to the crowds at Pentecost that the final King has arrived in Jesus. That's what he means when he says that Jesus has been "exalted to the right hand of God" (v. 33). Jesus is now reigning as your King at God's right hand. He is at work making sworn enemies into loyal subjects. And His kingdom is established forever.

INSIGHT
As a follower of Jesus, you too share in His kingship and rule.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 11-12
Psalm 136
Ephesians 3-4

2 Samuel 7:1-17;
God’s Promise to David
1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."
3 Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."
4 But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:
5 "Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"’
8 "Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders[a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
"‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’"
17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Samuel 7:11 Traditionally judges
b. 2 Samuel 7:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts you
Acts 2:14-36
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 "‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[a]
22 "Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[b] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
"‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[c]
29 "Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
"‘The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."’[d]
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."
Footnotes:
a. Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32
b. Acts 2:23 Or of those not having the law (that is, Gentiles)
c. Acts 2:28 Psalm 16:8-11 (see Septuagint)
d. Acts 2:35 Psalm 110:1

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 19, 2011)

Slaves to God
Romans 6

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit your reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
(Romans 6:22)
Most people living in the modern world would shudder to think of themselves as slaves. After all, slavery is something of the past in developed, civilized nations - the relic of a bygone and primitive age to which we hope never to return. But the Scriptures are clear. Everyone without exception is a slave: either to sin or to God.
What does the Bible mean when it refers to Christians as slaves of God? First, it means that He forever owns us. He has purchased our life with the precious blood of His Son (1 Peter 1:19). It also means we are completely dependent upon Him for everything. Slaves didn't have side jobs to supplement their income. Rather, they depended on their master for all things. Finally, to be God's slave means we owe Him complete obedience. Since we have a kind Master, we can trust that His commands are not burdensome and harsh like the selfish directives of earthly slave drivers (1 John 5:3). Thus, we offer our entire lives to Him, body and soul, and entrust our welfare to Him alone.
INSIGHT
How might viewing ourselves as "slaves to God" spur us on to godliness?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 13-14
Psalm 137
Ephesians 5-6
Romans 6
Sin’s Power Is Broken
1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
12 Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.
19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 6:12 Or Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death.
New Living Translation (NLT)

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 18, 2011)

God's House
Hebrews 3:1-6

"And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast."
(Hebrews 3:6)
Who is greater: Moses or Jesus? While this question may not burn in our minds today, it was certainly of major concern to the early, primarily Jewish Christians to which the author of Hebrews addressed his sermon-letter. For Jews, Moses was God's chief spokesperson, and therefore to count anyone as superior to him would have been a serious offense. But the author employs the image of God's household in order to illustrate that while Moses certainly played a critical role in God's plan, Jesus plays an even greater one.
You see, he says, Moses was simply part of the house (say, one of the bricks or a 4x4 beam). But Jesus is the builder of the house. He is the one who ultimately put Moses in the proper place in the structure. The author drives this point home when he writes that while Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, Jesus is faithful as a son over God's house (v. 5-6). As such, the revelation we have received in Jesus is God's fullest and final revelation of Himself until He returns.
INSIGHT
Are you trusting in part of the house or in the Builder of the house?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 7-8
Psalm 134
Galatians 5-6
Hebrews 3:1-6
Jesus Greater Than Moses
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,"[a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
Footnotes:
a. Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 17, 2011)

The Justified
Proverbs 17:15; Romans 3:21-4:12

"Christ died for the ungodly."
(Romans 5:6)
At first glance, the two readings for today appear contradictory. Proverbs tells us the Lord considers anyone who "justifies the wicked" (ESV) an abomination. Yet in Romans Paul refers to God Himself as the one who "justifies the wicked" (NIV) and therefore demands our trust. (The word "justify" in these verses means "to declare innocent.") How could God decry the justification of sinners and yet do so Himself?
To answer this question is to peer into the very heart of the Christian faith. God is not unjust or lying when He calls His church - a company of sinners - "the justified". God can declare the wicked to be righteous because Christ, their representative, accomplished two great acts on their behalf. First, He suffered in our place, taking away the eternal consequences of our wickedness. But that's not all. Christ also obeyed the entire law in our place, crediting His perfect record to us through faith. So God can "justify the wicked" because He sent The Righteous One to live and die for us.

INSIGHT
"Justification is the doctrine by which the church stands or falls."
(Martin Luther)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 5-6
Psalm 133
Galatians 3-4
Proverbs 17:15; Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the LORD detests them both
Romans 3:21-4:12
New Living Translation (NLT)
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[a] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.[b] 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Romans 4
The Faith of Abraham
Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."[c]
4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
7 "Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of sin."[d]
9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles?[e] Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!
11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 3:21 Greek in the law.
b. Romans 3:30 Greek whether they are circumcised or uncircumcised.
c. Romans 4:3 Gen 15:6.
d. Romans 4:8 Ps 32:1-2 (Greek version).
e. Romans 4:9 Greek is this blessing only for the circumcised, or is it also for the uncircumcised?

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 16, 2011)

The New Creation
2 Corinthians 5

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
There is nothing quite like owning something brand new. It shines in a way that hand-me-downs simply do not, and the newness of it changes the way we treat it. Remember when you would park that new car in the very back of the parking lot so no one else would park near you and ding your doors? New things make us very careful.
For sinners living in a sin-cursed world, there is nothing quite so comforting as reading the words in 2 Corinthians 5:17 above. Being in Christ by faith means being a part of the new creation that God began when He raised Jesus from the dead. God does not abandon His creatures. Rather, God's grace restores what He makes. God has restored humanity to their rightful place as the crown of His creation through the work of Christ. And we are part of that new creation. Just as new things in our life make us careful, this staggering news cannot help but change the way we live. Fundamentally, we cannot regard ourselves as part of this broken world any longer. We've been made new!
INSIGHT
How have you seen the fruits of the new creation in your own life?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 3-4
Psalm 132
Galatians 1-2
2 Corinthians 5
Awaiting the New Body
1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are "out of our mind," as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Or Christ, that person is a new creation.
b. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Or be a sin offering

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 15, 2011)

The Way
Matthew 7:13-14

"[Saul] asked...for letters to the synagogues..., so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."
(ACTS 9:2)
Before we were called "Christians," the church was referred to as "the Way." This early title for the church communicates much more than the six letters would seem to indicate. Most importantly, it teaches us some-thing about the exclusivity of the Christian's claim. Christ is not a way, one path among many to the divine. He is the Way - the only way to the Father (John 14:6). And those who follow in His footsteps walk the straight and narrow path that He first walked.
Christians in the 21st century need to hear this message more than ever. We are constantly told that no one religion can make an exclusive claim to be the truth, and, sadly, even the church's confidence in this truth has begun to erode. If the church in our age is going to remain faithful to its calling to make disciples of all nations, we cannot afford to lose our conviction that Jesus is the Way. While we may need to grow in our ability to pre-sent this truth with "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15), we must never leave it behind.
INSIGHT
How have you seen this important truth attacked in our age? Can you defend it?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 1-2
Psalm 131
2 Corinthians 13
Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
New Living Translation (NLT)
The Narrow Gate
13 "You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 7:13 Greek The road that leads to destruction.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 14, 2011)

The Bride of Christ
Isaiah 61:1-62:5; Revelation 19:1-10

"The wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."
(Revelation 19:7)
The image of the church as a bride is taken in several different directions in Scripture. It signifies the exclusivity of Christ's relationship to His people (2 Corinthians 11:2). It expresses the joy the church has for her new hus-band (Revelation 22:17). It points to the complimentary roles of leadership and submission exercised by the bridegroom and bride, respectively (Ephesians 5:22-25). But the one I would like to highlight today is the purity the bride enjoys through the faithful ministry of her husband - our Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the tragedies of our fall into sin was the defilement it brought upon us. We're left undesirable in and of ourselves and disqualified from even entering the presence of a holy God, much less from being His white-clad bride. Yet the image of us, the church, as Christ's bride ought to teach us that our sin has been completely pu-rified. Our stained rags are replaced with a spotless white wedding gown, washed white in the blood of the Lamb. What a glorious transformation!
INSIGHT
"What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!"
(Robert Lowry, 1876)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Lamentations 1-2
Psalm 128
2 Corinthians 9-10
Isaiah 61-62:5
The Year of the LORD’s Favor
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast. 7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
Isaiah 62
Zion’s New Name
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,[b]
and your land Beulah[c];
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
Footnotes:
Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
Revelation 19:1-10
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall 1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted:
"Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
"Amen, Hallelujah!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
"Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!"
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear."
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus."

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 13, 2011)

The Flock
Psalm 100; John 10:1-21

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
(John 10:11)
One would be hard-pressed to find a more pervasive image for Christ and His church than that of the Shep-herd and His flock. This image has roots that reach back deep into the Old Testament and provide the back-ground for some of the richest, most enduring word-pictures for the New Testament church. But what does God want us to understand through this image?
First, God wants us to know what He does for us. He gathers the flock together (Psalm 100:3). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads His flock (John 10:4). Unlike the "thieves and robbers" whose only purpose is to "kill and destroy," Jesus gives "abundant life" by laying down His own life for the flock (John 10:10). Finally, while others run from the flock when danger arises, Jesus protects His flock from the wolves that would devour and scatter it. But God also wants us to understand better our response to such rich pastoral provision. Sheep must trust their shepherd and follow his voice wherever it may lead them, even if the way seems treacherous.
INSIGHT
"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want."
(Psalm 23:1)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Lamentations 3
Psalm 129
2 Corinthians 11
Psalm 100;
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves
John 10:1-21
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
1 "Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"
21 But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
Footnotes:
a. John 10:9 Or kept safe

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 12, 2011)

The True Circumcision
Genesis 17:1-14;
Philippians 3:1-11

"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus and who put no confidence in the flesh."
(Philippians 3:3)
Whenever God makes a claim on a people in Scripture, He makes a point of marking them or distinguishing them from all others as His own possession. In Genesis 17, we see Him do just that with Abraham and his family. Circumcision was meant to point to the people's need to have their hearts renewed - to have the hard, outer shell of their stubborn hearts "cut away" by God's Spirit and enabled to walk in His commandments
(Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4). But it was also a warning that whoever failed to walk in God's ways would be "cut off" from the people by God's judgment.
In the light of the New Testament, we see the ultimate reality of which the sign of circumcision was merely a shadow. We see Jesus Christ who was "cut off" from the presence of God so that we would never be cut off by God's judgment. The bloody sign of circumcision points us to the bloodied beams of the cross. In Him, we have had our hearts "circumcised" and can now obey His commandments by His empowering grace.

INSIGHT
True circumcision of the heart = true worship (see Philippians 3:3 above). Worship Him now by the Spirit of God!
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Lamentations 4-5
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 12
Genesis 17:1-14;
The Covenant of Circumcision
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
b. Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
c. Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.
Philippians 3:1-11
No Confidence in the Flesh
1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Footnotes:
a. Philippians 3:9 Or through the faithfulness of

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 11, 2011)

The People of God
Hosea 1;
1 Peter 2:9-10

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
(1 Peter 2:10)
Both Christian and secular observers of American culture have consistently noticed a
"de-centeredness" in the lives of people. A deep sense of not belonging anywhere or to anyone prevails. Lives are set adrift in a sea of meaninglessness, leaving people feeling uprooted and alone. High divorce rates have broken the fabric of the family. Job instability continually moves us from our communities. And the technology that promises to bring us together often, ironically, isolates us even further. Where can we recover our center?
Part of the answer lies in the transition described by Peter. In Christ, God has taken those who were "not a people" and made them not just "a people" but "the people of God"! God had promised ages before to gather a people to Himself
(Genesis 17:7); through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, He fulfilled that promise. People going nowhere are now headed to Zion. People belonging nowhere are now citizens of heaven. And the people belonging to no one now belong to God!
INSIGHT
Does your life ever feel "de-centered"? Rejoice that you are part of the people of God!
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 51-52
Psalm 127
2 Corinthians 8
Hosea 1;
1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash[a] king of Israel:
Hosea’s Wife and Children
2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD." 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel."
6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means "not loved"), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the LORD their God, will save them."
8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi (which means "not my people"), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.[b]
10 "Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.[c]
Footnotes:
a. Hosea 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
b. Hosea 1:9 Or your I AM
c. Hosea 1:11 In Hebrew texts 1:10,11 is numbered 2:1,2.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (NOVEMBER 10, 2011)

A Great Multitude
Genesis 15:1-21;
Revelation 7:9-17
"'Look up at the heavens and count the stars- if indeed you can count them' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'"
(Genesis 15:5)
The heartbeat of the biblical story centers around the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15. When Abram and his wife Sarai were well beyond their childbearing years, God promised the barren couple that He would make their descendants so numerous that no one could count them. What made this promise even more sur-prising was that not too long prior to this, Abraham and his ancestors had been worshipping other gods (Joshua 24:2). Yet the God of heaven and earth promised to multiply this former idol worshipper beyond num-ber! Talk about amazing grace!
Abraham and his descendants would have to wait for many years for God to make good on His promise. There were times when it seemed to have come true. But God had something even greater in store that will not be finished until Christ - the true seed of Abraham - comes to redeem His people on the last day. Then we will see the fulfillment of John's vision in Revelation 7 when "a great multitude that no one could count" will sing praises to God forever!

INSIGHT
God delights in using unlikely people in impossible circumstances to do the unimaginable.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 49-50
Psalm 126
2 Corinthians 6-7
Genesis 15:1-21;
The LORD’s Covenant With Abram
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,[a]
your very great reward.[b]"
2 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring[d] be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 15:1 Or sovereign
b. Genesis 15:1 Or shield; / your reward will be very great
c. Genesis 15:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
d. Genesis 15:5 Or seed
e. Genesis 15:18 Or river
Revelation 7:9-17
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
14 I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’[a]
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b]
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]"
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10
b. Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10
c. Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8