Establish Your Heart: Anchored in Grace

Most of us want to do business with a well established company. We know when we do we are more likely to have a good experience. We can trust that company will be there next year to take care of our needs. They won't just disappear if they have one bad year. Interestingly, James tells us to "establish our hearts" (James 5:8). He wants your heart to be stable and firm in Christ. He wants us to make our hearts trustworthy and faithful, confident in the love of God. We need a heart that loves God and others and is anchored in grace.

Just as we can trust a reliable company, so infinitely more we can trust God to steady our souls. He gives us the courage to live for Him. An example of a steady soul was WW2 medic, Desmond Doss.

You know him as the hero of the movie, Hacksaw Ridge. In an unimaginably difficult situation he did not forget God. As a conscientious objector, he refused to carry a weapon. At the Battle of Okinawa, under heavy fire, he saved 75 soldiers and later won the Medal of Honor for his bravery.

As he worked to save the wounded, he prayed, "Lord, please help me get one more" giving all the credit to God for giving him strength. Doss certainly was an example of an established heart.

Establish Your Heart: Anchored in Grace

Hebrews 13:9 explains how we actually establish our heart: "It is good that your heart is established with grace." In other words, it is grace that makes our heart firm and secure in Christ. Grace that can keep us grounded in truth, not wavering over every new doctrine that comes around. Grace is simply the unmerited gift of God's forgiveness through Jesus.

We may have teachings and doctrines, we may have rituals and habits, but the one thing that will keep us focused on Jesus is grace. His grace is greater than all our sin.

As McClaren's Expositions in his commentary on Hebrews writes:

"There is only one way by which we can be kept from being drifted away by the currents and blown away by the tempests that run and range through every life, and that is that we shall anchor ourselves on God. "

McClaren continues and says there are three things that give us stability in God:

• His grace

• His love we possess through grace

• Sufficing gifts for our hungry desires

McClaren is saying our hearts long for security, acceptance, joy, and peace. God's "sufficing gifts" are the things God gives us that we need to be fulfilled in Him. It's not just what we want but what God deems is best for us.

Because our needs are satisfied, through forgiveness, identity as His child, comfort in trials, and the Spirit’s power, we become a stable and faithful Christian. Which of God's gifts have you noticed the most lately? Have you thanked Him for it?

Living Out an Established Heart

So how do we live out that grace in daily life? It is not so important what we know about God on an intellectual level, but what we know from experiencing Him in our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26). It is this "established heart" that will be able to withstand the uncertainties of life. His grace will enable us to remain faithful to God, no matter what.

With an established heart we can stand firm in Christ when everyone around us is fearful, not knowing which way to turn. We know which way to turn. We know to turn our eyes upon Jesus. Have you felt the peace of Christ in troubled times? God is not a God of chaos.

Firm Foundation in Doctrine and Storms

Whether in theological debates or personal trials, Jesus is our anchor. When debates arise over doctrine, the one thing we can know is that Jesus is our firm foundation. We aren't to argue over every little thing but we are to ask, "Who is this Savior? It is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. He it is who brings peace and calm to our hearts when there are questions that have no answer in this life. When will He return? No one knows, but we know we are to be patient while we wait.

Whether we are enduring a division of beliefs within our churches or facing a personal battle with cancer, when our faith is steady and based on God's grace we can endure with a peaceful heart. Because if we aren't careful, these kind of trials will shake our faith to the very core, even causing some to abandon it.

When I was going through cancer, I wrote,

"Trials prove our faith. Trials show us our love is true."

Nothing in our life stays the same. We all experience great loss, great turmoil, times when we have no answers, but we have the great joy of knowing that Jesus is there to bless us and comfort us with His love. Without Him, waves of adversity will carry us away. There will be no firm foundation. Or worse, perhaps we will discover our foundation was made of sand. It worked fine until the storms came and then everything established on it was washed away.

Even when life seems to be going smoothly, we can find ourselves with inner turmoil. Tempted to sin, tempted to be unsatisfied with our lives, our jobs, our relationships, we look around us for quiet and calm but it is not there. Only when Jesus is truly the Captain of our Salvation will those inner storms be calmed.

We are here to show the world Jesus. Through our ability to endure suffering and hardship, and still maintain an inner peace, we are showing others what it means to have an established heart. When things seem to be crumbling around us and we show others love and forgiveness, it is a lasting testimony to the God given gifts that grace provides. This strength doesn't come from us, but from God, as Scripture reminds us.

Scripture’s Call to Steadfastness

Peter stresses the importance of diligence. 2 Peter 3:17 reminds us to diligently work to remain steadfast, and to be found in Jesus in peace. In 1 Peter 5:10, he prays that God will "perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." Our heart is established by God, His Holy Spirit strengthens us and perfects us.

Paul explains the necessity of perseverance. In 1 Corinthians 15:58 he says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Paul doesn't talk as if this is easy. No, we labor for God. But our labor will be rewarded. If not on earth, surely in Heaven.

We can't establish our heart in anything else but God's grace. All else will fail. Our hearts are deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). They can deceive us. We can believe that everything is fine. We can feel at peace with our life and our decisions but when we come to the end of our life God will know our true heart. He will know if it was established on grace or not. As Revelation 2:23 (b) tells us, "all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts."

Which of the following verses speaks most to you in your current situation?

• 2 Thessalonians 3:3 explains that it is our faithful Lord who establishes us and guards us from the evil one. The Greek word for establish here means to make something secure or steadfast. In 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Paul prays that our hearts would be directed into God's love and to patience as we wait for Christ. Do you feel guarded from evil? Are you patiently waiting for Christ's return?

• In 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, Paul explains that God increases our love for others so that our hearts will be established "blameless and in holiness." Loving others helps us love Him and this helps us to become holy. Who do we love?

• Psalm 112:7 tells us that the righteous have steadfast hearts. A steadfast heart is firm, unwavering, committed, and above all faithful. An established heart is a steadfast heart. 1 Timothy 6:11 says that we should pursue "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness." Are you running after godliness? Are you chasing gentleness? Are you pursuing steadfastness?

The Bible talks about the heart over a thousand times. In the Bible, the heart is the place where our spiritual feelings and desires live. It is the part of us that God promises to change, to renew when we are in relation to Him. He renews us by dwelling in us. God literally places new wisdom and new desires in us.

Instead of saying the first thing that comes in our mind He teaches us to speak with kindness and love. Instead of wanting to be like everyone else we begin to desire holiness. We change in a thousand ways to become more like Him.

Guarding Your Heart Daily

We can and should examine our hearts (2 Corinthians 13:5). Is your heart unstable or is it established? Do you become anxious when circumstances change or can you feel peace when you're pressured? Are you frustrated with unanswered prayer or can we patiently wait on the Lord?

Many things can hinder us in "establishing our hearts." When we believe we've done enough to be worthy of God's love, or that how we feel is what determines our relationship to God we suffer setbacks in establishing our heart. Drifting away spiritually because we have failed to be diligent in prayer, worship, and Bible study is another way we can be hindered.

So what do we do to keep this from happening? Remind yourself of Scripture that speaks of God's grace towards us, remember that God is faithful even when we aren't feeling His presence, and ask the Holy Spirit to convict us when we forget what's most important — growing in holiness by pursuing righteousness.

Each day God gives us is a day that we can open ourselves up to being established in Him. We just need to call on Him and know that He always wants what is best for us. A steady, firm foundation of faith will ensure that we won't falter when life seems unfair, hurtful, or more than we can handle. Don't fear telling God the truth about your heart. He knows it already. Ask him to help you make Him the anchor for your soul in the storm. He will, if you mean it.

Dear Father,

Establish my heart with your grace and your Holy Spirit.

Help me to be steadfast and faithful.

Let me always trust in your promises.

In Jesus name,

Amen