Setting Anchor

1 Corinthians 12:12 – The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts: and though all its parts are many, they form one body.

When I was in the Navy I always enjoyed pulling into port in foreign countries. We were not always able to pull up to a pier so we would have to set anchor and ride liberty boats in. Now it is not the anchor alone which holds the ship in position. It is instead a combination of the anchor and the chain which contributes to the anchoring of the ship. An unanchored chain will not hold the ship in position so it must be connected to the anchor. Also an anchor without enough chain will not hold the ship. They are a unit which works together to accomplish a common job. So there are many parts, the chain links and the anchor, which united are able to hold the ship.

As I mature more in my faith I see more how the body of Christ is made up of many parts yet it is one body. One thing I have noticed since I have started to do mission work is that there are so many different types of missions to be done. Prison ministry is one. Reaching the arctic villages here in Alaska is another one. Working with youth groups is yet another one. There are all kinds of different people doing these missions yet we all share one thing in common. We are all united in Christ. Christ is the anchor in our Christian life. We are like the links which are spread out from the anchor, to function with the anchor to achieve the same goal. This goal is to do the will of God. Without Jesus as our anchor we would just be drifting around, never being able to accomplish anything. With Christ as our anchor we are able to work together.

Prayer: Our God, we give thanks that you have sent Jesus to us, not only to be our anchor but to allow us to become part of that anchor. We pray that we may be links in the body of Christ which you can use for your work. In Jesus' name. Amen.