We live in what seems to be a crazy, frenetic world. Behaviors, beliefs, norms, and morals all seem to be corrupted and distorted in ways that many of us have never experienced in our lifetimes. But while these things may be new to us, they are not new to human history. The strange, the bizarre, and the unthinkable have always been a part of the broken, sinful world in which we live. We have an election coming up in a few weeks (in case you hadn’t noticed!) that will likely prove to be another event causing us to shake our heads in disbelief.
Of course, all of the strangeness of our times can be traced to people’s pursuit of truth in all the wrong places. There are so many voices out there championing various versions of what is right, wrong, good, and evil that it can become overwhelming for us as believers in Jesus Christ to sort through it all. But sort through it all we must. In order to live our lives in accord with biblical truth, we must be able to separate truth from falsehood at every turn. This is the vital skill that every Christian needs in order to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” as the author of the book of Hebrews describes it (12:1).
Every one of us needs an anchor to keep us tethered to the truth and able to withstand the waves of challenges that come our way every day as we diligently cling to our master and savior, Jesus Christ. That’s why I have found it so important to remind myself of the most basic tenets of our belief on a regular basis. In our chapel services this semester, our theme is the Apostles’ Creed, which is one of the most foundational statements of our belief that has ever been written. It is not a passage from the Bible verbatim, but it’s a clear, succinct summary of the core beliefs of the Christian faith that are taught in the Bible.
Even this morning in my devotional time, I had the joy of reading John 1:1–5, which is the ultimate anchor for the soul. All too often, we are tempted to skip over passages like this either because they are so familiar that we think we know them well enough or because they are too challenging for us to interpret readily. But we must pause and meditate on passages such as this because they are so profound, so powerful, as to anchor our souls to the most important truths in the universe.
This is where we want our students to be anchored. This is where I need to be anchored. This is where every church needs to be anchored. And this is why Bethlehem College & Seminary exists. I love the vision and mission of this school. It is so desperately needed in today’s confusing world. God’s glorious, timeless truth, as revealed in the Bible, is the answer for all our needs—both now and for all time.
Clinging to the anchor,
Tim
Tim Tomlinson
President
Prayer Requests:
- Thank you for your many prayers related to presidential succession at Bethlehem College & Seminary! Your prayers have been answered as Dr. Joe Rigney has been named president-elect. He will take office on June 1, 2021. I believe Joe will be an outstanding president and will serve our school well. Please pray for Dr. Rigney as he prepares for this new responsibility.
- Please continue to pray for our school during these extraordinary times. We are grateful to the Lord that He has allowed us to meet in person this fall, and we’re praying for His grace and mercy to continue throughout the rest of the school year.
- Thank you also for your prayers for our Board of Trustees. No school will stay faithful to its calling without a strong board of trustees to oversee and champion the fulfillment of the mission. In His mercy, God has given us an outstanding board. I love working with these trustees and am confident in the Lord’s continued blessings toward our school through their faithful and diligent labors.
- And, as always, please keep praying for our school’s finances. While these are indeed uncertain times economically and financially, we know that the Lord is not constrained at all by the conditions we see. He is able to accomplish anything He chooses—no matter what the circumstances. Please pray for a continued outpouring of His grace and mercy toward our financial needs.