The Anchor
Anchor
· an•chor
1 : a device usu. of metal attached to a ship or boat by a cable and cast overboard to hold it in a particular place by means of a fluke that digs into the bottom
2 : a reliable or principal support : mainstay
3 : something that serves to hold an object firmly
4 : an object shaped like a ship’s anchor
5 : an anchorman or anchorwoman
6 : the member of a team (as a relay team) that competes last
7 : a large business (as a department store) that attracts customers and other businesses to a shopping center or mall
8 : a fixed object (as a tree or a piton) to which a climber’s rope is secured —[1]
o Something placed on the desk or office to keep emotions stable or calm.
· Hebrews 6:11-19
o Verse 11= Desire after/hope
o Verse 12= be Imitators
o Verse 17= unchangeable promise
o Verse 18
§ God cannot lie
· Every promise will come true
· Part of God’s Nature
§ He cannot break an oath
o Verse 19= These 2 points become an anchor
· They knew They were called of God
When everything else fails, the call of God will give you the strength and resolution you need to get the job done. At first Moses resisted the call of God, but then he came to realize that God’s calling was the greatest assurance of success (Phil. 1:6; 1 Thes. 5:24). Knowing that God had called him was the secret of Jeremiah’s perseverance when everything around him was falling apart and his own people were against him. The worker who doesn’t have a divine calling to the work is like a house without a foundation or a ship without an anchor, unprepared for the storms of life.
Nehemiah started with a burden for Jerusalem, but the burden was not the call. He wept over the sad condition of the city (Neh. 1:4), but his tears were not the call. It was as he prayed to God and sought divine help that he received a call to leave his relatively easy job and go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Because he knew God had called him, Nehemiah could approach the king and get help; and he could also enlist the help of the Jews in Jerusalem.
Before you quickly move into a place of ministry, be sure God has called you and equipped you for the job. You may not think you can do it, and others may have their doubts; but if God calls you, have no fear: He will see you through. [2]
· Sep 14 (SME) Charles Spurgeon
May our hearts make Jesus their anchor, their rudder, their lighthouse, their life-boat, and their harbour.
· Mark 4:35-41
o As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”
o They have not anchored their faith-they were just beginning to see who Jesus was.
· Malachi 3:6
· Psalm 56:11
· Isaiah 26:3-4
· ?Colossians 2:8
· 1 Cor. 13.13
· Dolphin With Anchor: “Hasten Slowly”
A famous historic symbol to express moderation is the device of a dolphin twisted round an anchor. This was inscribed on his coins by Titus, the Emperor of Rome, and was meant by him to express that golden mean between hurry and delay—the failure which comes from rushing without premeditation, and hesitation through overmuch caution. The anchor is thus the symbol of delay, as it is also of firmness and security, while the dolphin is regarded as the swiftest and most mercurial of fish.
Frequently the dolphin and anchor are used as a family crest, with the explanatory motto, Festina lente, “Hasten slowly.” The symbol, therefore, fitly expresses the idea of moderation, of that just balance between two opposing forces. It represents, also, that maturity in business which is the medium between too great haste and too great hesitation.
—James Burns[3]
fes-ti-nate (fes-te-nat) Lente (lint)
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[1]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
[2]Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Determined. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1992, S. Ne 12:44
[3]Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979