12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

2 Peter 1: 12-15

Watching a ship at anchor can be pretty interesting. Until you actually watch it when there’s strong current, you’d probably think it just sits right above the anchor, like it was resting there. However, when there’s current, it will swing about, turning to face the direction of the current. It will only drift as the chain will allow, but it will move. And, should the current go the other direction, the ship will move about and face that direction. It’s solidly anchored but moves about as needed due to the length of the chain and its flexibility. If it wasn’t anchored like this, it would break free and shipwreck.
Likewise, Christians have an anchor that firmly roots us. The Holy Scriptures provide us a means of being rooted. The words God breathed teach us where our foundation is and how to live, behave, and react. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Being rooted to the scriptures is a great blessing. But in this rootedness, we can also move in the right direction. Just like the ship swinging about on its anchor to face the current, we can move to face life.

Without being firmly rooted, without our minds being full of the scriptures, we can be misled by ‘winds’ of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14) that don’t resonate the right tune. These can divert our thoughts and cause us to forget our roots. When we come upon these ‘doctrines’ that lead us astray, we should do what’s spoken of in 1 John 4:1-3, and ‘try’ or test them against scripture.

More and more, Christians are confronted with misguided teachings. Sometimes we see these false teachings for what they are and push them away. But there are times where we don’t. When this happens, we learn how important it is to be soundly rooted. If there was a time when you’ve been confronted by stray teachings, we’d love to hear the story, especially when you’ve strengthened your rooting in the scriptures. Could another believer ‘add a boulder’ from your life that might strengthen their foundation? Perhaps your testimony would even provide a means to battle through the same thing in their own life?  If you have a story to share, please send it to: [email protected]. Unless you specifically give permission, it won’t be shared.

By Rich Obrecht

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