Anchor Point
By Hal Lindsey
Confusion and contention seem to be everywhere. Across the media, chaos reigns. In April and May, optimism was high that the pandemic would fade during summer. But it did not. The whole world seems to be holding its breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop. The world economy is on the brink of chaos.
In the United States, the fear is almost palpable. What will happen to American prosperity? What will happen to American freedoms? What will happen to the environment? What will happen to our young? The streets of the United States look more and more like the Arab Spring a decade ago. Knowledgeable Americans are praying that the catastrophic results of that upheaval do not happen here.
To say the least, these are uneasy times. But we knew they were coming. I’ve been talking about them for more than fifty years. We shouldn’t be in despair when we see things happening that God told us would happen. Amid the chaos, born again followers of Jesus should not be afraid. Instead, we should remember that God loves us, and His plan for us is working out.
1 Peter 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”
According to His great mercy, we have been born again. In Him, we have an inheritance that cannot perish or be defiled. Nothing that happens here can in any way diminish that inheritance. We live in this world, and we have a mission here. But we do not depend on this world for our hope or joy.
The knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead and lives today should give us powerful assurance no matter what circumstance we encounter. 1 Peter 1:5 says that those who have been born again, “are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Our heavenly inheritance is protected by God and so are we. The salvation we now have in Christ will one day be fully revealed in Him. Our response to such wondrous thoughts should be obvious. Verse 6 says, “In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.”
Our trials are real, but they do not diminish the glorious reality of our place in Christ! Verse 10 tells us that the prophets of old looked into, studied, and tried to understand the beauty of the salvation we get to experience in Christ. Verse 12 says that the details of the Gospel are “things the angels desire to look into.”
But too often, we focus on the wrong things. We tremble and fret over worldly events, while considering our eternal position in Christ with little more than a yawn.
Verses 13-16 say, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Those words give us a checklist for how we should live, especially in the latter days of this age. “Prepare your minds for action” and “keep sober in the spirit.” Do not be conformed to your former lusts but live in His holiness.
“Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Don’t attach your hope to the things of this world — things that are rapidly perishing — but anchor your life in God’s perfect grace.
