• Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

  • Let your light so shine.

  • Where God is, love is. (1 John 4:7-8)

  • Sharing the Good News. In season and out of season.

  • God so loved the world. Every person.

Anchor

User-friendly devotionals with audio

  • 8 Oct

    God Is Not in a Hurry

    A compilation

    Audio length: 13:03
    Download Audio (11.9MB)

    “Love is patient, love is kind.”—1 Corinthians 13:4

    Patience and everyday life can feel as mismatched as oil and water. Whether I’m waiting in a slow checkout line, stuck in traffic, or asking one of my children for the umpteenth time to do something they forgot, impatience seems to bubble up easily.

    Impatience often reveals more about my heart than about my circumstances. When things don’t go my way, plans take longer than I’d hoped, or life interrupts my carefully laid schedule, frustration spills out. At its core, impatience is usually about me—my comfort, my timeline, my expectations.

    But God calls me to something different. With God’s Spirit alive in me, He cultivates the fruit of patience (Galatians 5:22). He gives me the ability to slow down, wait, and trust His timing. …

    The Bible describes God as “patient with [people], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God was patient to lead me to come to Him, and He continues to be patient with me as I grow in Him.

    That’s what true love looks like. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). God’s love takes its time. It waits. It doesn’t rush the process. His love isn’t pushy; it’s patient and persistent.

    If God is not in a hurry with me, then I don’t have to live in constant hurry either. I can rest in knowing He is at work, even when life feels slow or messy. His patience gives me space to grow and also gives me a model for how to extend patience to the people around me.

    So today when impatience rises, I want to remember: God isn’t rushing me. He delights in me. And He promises that the work He began in me will be brought to completion (Philippians 1:6). That truth frees me to extend His love and patience to others—and even to myself. Lord, remind me that You are not in a hurry with me and that I can trust Your timing in all things.—Ruth Schwenk1

    God is always right on time

    God is never in a hurry, and he’s never late. He’s always on time.

    God’s timing is perfect, even when we can’t understand it. We’ll never fully understand God’s timing because God exists on a different wavelength. Because he is timeless, he has a different view of time.

    The Bible talks about God’s understanding of time in 2 Peter 3:8. It says, “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”  … God’s timelessness has big implications for your life. …

    What vision has God given you? Over the years I’ve discovered that while everybody tends to start off early in life with a vision, as time goes on, more and more people give up on their dream before it’s accomplished. The reason is often because it doesn’t happen fast enough.

    Maybe you have had your dream battered. Maybe you have had your dream broken. Or maybe, out of discouragement and disappointment, you have buried your dream. You’ve given up on it. 

    God doesn’t want you to do that. If God gave you a dream for your life, it will happen. It just has to happen on his timetable, not yours.

    God says this about your dream: “The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late” (Habakkuk 2:3).

    When I started Saddleback Church when I was 25 years old, I was in a hurry to get everything done fast. But God said to me the same thing he will say to you with your dream: “No, it’s not all going to happen right now. But slowly, steadily, the vision will be fulfilled.” 

    I want you to remember this powerful truth: God is never early in your life. He is never late in your life.

    God is always right on time.—Rick Warren2

    Playing ketchup

    I recently saw a ketchup ad for a famous brand that showed ketchup pouring out of a bottle very slowly, accompanied by the song “At Last.” It reminded me of being a child and waiting for ketchup to pour out on my hamburger agonizingly slowly.

    Some brands are watered down, and pouring isn’t a problem anymore—except for the lack of flavor. Some brands now come in plastic squeeze bottles for impatient folks like me or in small plastic packs that you tear open and squeeze out. But I’m talking about the narrow-necked glass bottles which gave you no alternative except to wait.

    I remember getting so impatient for my ketchup. I’d try shaking the bottle. Then I’d pound on the bottom. Sometimes, I even resorted to pushing a knife up into the bottle to get my ketchup. But most often, I’d just have to wait until the ketchup gradually began to pour out in its own time.

    I overslept the other morning and woke up feeling like I had to pound on that proverbial ketchup bottle. I kept pushing for things to hurry up, so I wouldn’t be late for an appointment. I even tried shortcuts and raced through yellow traffic lights just to get through. I felt like I was literally playing catch-up.

    Then I realized that life is like that ketchup bottle. Things move in their own time and, in our impatience, we can shake and pound, but events will pour out as they’re meant to. Some of the best things in life are slow—slow songs, slow sunsets, slow kisses, and even slow ketchup.—Joyce Suttin

    *

    Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.—Romans 12:12

    I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.—Psalm 40:1

    The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.—Lamentations 3:25–26

    Be patient like those farmers and don’t give up. The Lord will soon be here!—James 5:8

    God isn’t in a hurry—why are we?

    Have you met people who wear their busy lives as badges of honor? God has given us different capacities and callings, so I can’t judge someone else’s schedule, but I do know something about assigning a misplaced sense of value and worth to busyness, which in my life produced a sense of hurry.

    Growing up, I subconsciously took to heart the phrase “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” As an adult, I heard, BUSY stands for “Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke” and “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.”

    All these sayings contain some truth—depending on how we apply them. But busyness has robbed me of more than stillness. And the misplaced value I assigned to busyness has sabotaged times of stillness with a nagging sense that I should be doing something. …

    My desire to be responsible pushed me into an out-of-balance life. One day my husband said, “When you’re overcommitted, we all suffer.” I’d asked his thoughts on a new ministry opportunity, but his words stung—because I knew he was right. …

    The Gospels challenged my view of productivity. I never saw Jesus rushing during His three-year ministry. He stunned me by saying “no” to great ministry opportunities. He walked away from eager crowds to keep step with His Father (Mark 1:35–38). He applauded Mary, who sat at His feet listening to Him, while her sister Martha complained that Mary wasn’t doing enough.

    “But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41–42). …

    Perhaps the problem lies not in busyness or idleness, but in a distracted heart that makes us restless. Life has rhythms. People have different capacities. But we all need to practice staying in tune with our Lord so that we don’t lose the ability to enjoy Him, the important people in our lives, and life itself.

    Signs of Putting a Misplaced Value on Busyness:

    • Feeling guilty when we’re not productive
    • Attaching our sense of self-worth to how much we accomplish
    • Judging others by how busy they are compared to ourselves
    • Impatience with others who we think slow us down
    • Being in a hurry

    If we’re used to lots of activity and we have to slow our pace, we may feel like we’ve been put on a shelf. Not true. God values our fellowship, just as He did Mary’s. He delights in the pleasure of our company. …

    Isn’t that the life we all long for? To fully engage in the work God has called us to—without rushing or comparing ourselves or others to our own unrealistic standards. To appreciate those with different inclinations and gifts. To enjoy our Lord, our loved ones, and even ourselves.—Debbie W. Wilson3

    Published on Anchor October 2026. Read by Lenore Welsh. Music by John Listen.

    1 Ruth Schwenk, “God Is Not in a Hurry With You,” proverbs31.org, December 29, 2025, https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2025/12/29/god-is-not-in-a-hurry-with-you.

    2 Rick Warren, “God Is Always Right on Time,” www.pastorrick.com, September 7, 2023, https://www.pastorrick.com/current-teaching/devotional/god-is-always-right-on-time.

    3 Debbie W. Wilson, “God Isn’t in a Hurry—Why Are We?” debbiewwilson.com, July 28, 2025, https://debbiewwilson.com/god-isnt-in-a-hurry.

  • Oct 6 Encouragement for Running Our Race
  • Oct 1 The Story of the Barren Fig Tree
  • Sep 30 Does Evolution Square with Christianity?
  • Sep 29 Living a Spirit-filled Life
  • Sep 25 The Man Born Blind
  • Sep 22 Don’t Be Annoyed, Be Jesus
  • Sep 21 In This Together
  • Sep 17 Christian Fellowship
  • Sep 16 The Great Riot at Ephesus
   

Directors’ Corner

Faith-building Bible studies and articles

  • 9 Jun

    The Life of Discipleship, Part 12: Everyday Discipleship

    Audio length: 22.45

    Download Audio (20.8MB)

    (You may need to right-click the above links and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" to download videos and audios to your computer.)

    Discipleship is a lifelong journey that requires perseverance, determination, conviction, the love of God, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The late Reverend Billy Graham once said, “The Christian’s journey through life isn’t a sprint but a marathon. … Discipleship is the commitment of a lifetime, day by day.” The process of growing in our discipleship and being transformed into Christ’s image is a lifelong task. As one person expressed it:

    We are created as rough drafts that must go through the editing process. God works to transform us step by step into a finished article that will make worthwhile reading. Our substance is reshaped repeatedly by the choices and decisions we make, the superficial and superfluous bits are purged through life’s trials, and we are fine-tuned and polished … in the hands of the Great Editor.—Scott Montrose1

    Our discipleship is meant to encompass every aspect of our lives, including our relationship with God and our daily walk with Him, and our love for others, which includes every person we encounter in our day. Our discipleship includes being an ambassador for Christ, sharing the good news with the people He places in our path, as well as being a living reflection of the love of Christ in every sphere of our lives and striving to grow in His likeness.

    We live our discipleship in our homes, the workplace, in schools, and in the community. We incorporate discipleship principles into our parenting, our relationships, and the investment of our time, skills, and resources. We strive to be a living example of our faith to our families, friends, and neighbors, and the people we interact with throughout our day and in our online communications.

    The call to be a disciple of Jesus is a call to a whole way of life. It’s a call to rearrange our priorities so that God has first place in our lives. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have other priorities in life, but our allegiance is to God first—above our own desires and will, our loved ones, our possessions, and even our own lives. Christian discipleship is not easy to live out—in fact, Jesus said “the way is hard,” but it is the path “that leads to life” (Matthew 7:13–14). It requires commitment, dedication, and placing God at the center of our lives, our decisions, and our relationships.

    In the Gospels, Jesus challenged His followers to lay down their lives for His sake and to follow Him. In Matthew’s Gospel, He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24–25).

    Denying ourselves can be understood to mean setting aside our personal desires, ambitions, and goals, and choosing to seek God for His direction in our lives and pursue His will over our own. This doesn’t mean that the Lord will never lead us to work toward our personal ambitions and goals. If we are seeking God’s will and our desire is to please Him, it’s very likely that His will and our desires will be in alignment (Psalm 37:4). However, if God’s direction doesn’t align with the direction we were leaning toward, as His disciples, we will be willing to “deny ourselves” in order to follow Him.

    Jesus gave us the key to being able to live our commitment to discipleship, starting with our spiritual rebirth through salvation. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20).

    The ability and grace to live the discipleship life come not only from our desire to obey God’s commandments and our efforts to live in a godly way, but from the power of God through “Christ in us” (Colossians 1:27) and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15–17). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

    Christ in Us

    Every new morning we can anticipate that the Lord Jesus Christ will express Himself through us that day and accomplish some aspect of His work, whether we can identify what He has done or not. This is our privilege, and this is our responsibility.

    For Christ to be in us gives us power. We can live effectively in no other strength than that which derives from the life of Jesus Christ, for He said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). And for us to be in Christ gives us purpose. It is not a power that enables us to live for ourselves, but it equips us to fulfill the plans of Christ...

    For Christ to be in us gives us resources. Everything we possibly need is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. And for us to be in Christ gives us responsibilities. As part of His body, the most important issue I have to face is, “What [does He] want me to do?”

    For Christ to be in us is dynamic. And for us to be in Christ is demanding. If He has something to do, He has the right to use us as the means of doing it. If there is an “Ethiopian eunuch” on the desert road, He has the right to tell you to leave your Samaria and go to meet him (Acts 8:26–40). But for every demand He makes, He provides the dynamic of His Spirit within to accomplish it.

    This is the Christian life. Having faced our failure to express His likeness and image in the world, we come to the Cross for forgiveness, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and become incorporated into Christ, to become vehicles for the expression of His life and purpose. The world desperately needs to know this but will have no grounds on which to believe it until they see the life and character of Jesus Christ lived out in your life and mine. This is God's purpose for you!—Charles Price2

    Joining His Kingdom Mission

    God has invited you to join him in changing the world. God has a dream for this world that Jesus called the kingdom of God. God created you to play an important role in his kingdom vision. You will never find your deepest purpose in life until you find your place in building God’s kingdom.

    You don’t have to be brilliant to change the world—or wealthy or influential or a spiritual giant. But you do have to say yes to the invitation. You do have to be available and willing to be used, and you may have to pay the price that comes with following Jesus, because changing the world and following Jesus isn’t easy, and it doesn’t come cheap. There will be some sacrifice involved—there always is.

    Our Christian faith is not just a way to find forgiveness for sin in order to enter eternal life, yet it is that. It is not just a system of right beliefs about ultimate truth and the order of things, though it is that. Nor is it just a way to find God’s comfort in times of trouble or a helpful code of conduct for how to live a good and productive life, though it is those things too. Fundamentally, the Christian faith is a call to … follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and join in the great mission of Christ in our world. … Only then will we become completed people—people living according to God’s deepest purpose for our lives.—Richard Stearns3

    Conclusion: The Blueprint for Life

    As we have seen throughout this series on discipleship, the Bible teaches us about the relationship God wishes to have with us and how to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Growing in Christlikeness and being transformed into His likeness is the foundation for living a godly and fruitful life in harmony with God and others, which produces the fruit of His Spirit in our lives and those of others (Galatians 5:22–23). It is within the Bible that we learn truths revealed by God that we can pattern our lives after.

    In God’s Word, we find the biblical principles that serve as the compass for our lives and help us to navigate the challenges of everyday life and to be an effective witness for Christ. His Word conveys principles that guide us in our interaction with others and our decision-making, helping us to discern the difference between right and wrong. These spiritual principles set the tone for our moral standard, our ethics, our attitudes about life, love, the world, the environment, and relationships. Though the Bible doesn’t specifically deal with every possible situation that we may face, it does provide the principles needed to navigate the complexities of life in a manner that is pleasing to God.

    His Word teaches us to live out our discipleship by loving and serving others. Our love for Jesus moves us to serve others on His behalf. It motivates us to be His ambassadors in whatever situation we find ourselves. It compels us to assist those in need, and to provide hope and healing to those who have none. We can be His hands to help and touch, His mouth to speak the truth of His Word and give encouragement and hope, His eyes to convey compassion, His feet to walk alongside a weary soul, and His arms to help carry their heavy burden. In so doing, our lives will glorify Him and bless others, as the following articles highlight.

    A Beautiful Life

    When the life of a follower of Jesus is lived as Jesus intended it to be, it becomes a thing of beauty. Being a Christian and having a relationship with God should be something that permeates our daily experiences, is integrated into our decisions, and brings color to our perceptions of ourselves, others, and this life. The countless expressions of God’s love shared with others in the course of a Christian’s life may at times appear to be insignificant in themselves, yet God sees them in the context of the totality of a life that glorifies Him, and He revels in their beauty.

    The more we are determined to strengthen our walk with Jesus, and the more we desire a deeper spiritual connection with Him, the more He will be able to manifest His Spirit through us. We are His handiwork. As we allow Him to blend the hues of His love and mercy and develop the beauty of form that He intended for us, we become His masterpiece that will speak to the hearts of many. Let’s eagerly embrace the priceless gift of His presence in our lives. And as we cultivate the captivating beauty of God’s love in all we do and say, others will be drawn to Him through us.—Maria Fontaine

    Christ’s Fragrance

    The Apostle Paul wrote that the Church is a fragrance of Christ to the world: “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). By this he meant that every believer, and every congregation of believers, establishes a presence of Christ in the world which is palpable to nonbelievers. …

    But what is that fragrance? How should we expect others to experience the presence of Jesus in us? In two ways, primarily: the truth of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. God's truth speaks to every aspect of human life. By His Word of truth, in the hands of His Spirit, Christ is making all things new in our lives (Revelation 21:5). This means that, in every area of our lives—all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities—Christians exhibit a newness which conforms not to the spirit of the world but to the Holy Spirit of Christ. Our conversation will be different—not filled with carping and complaining, triteness and frivolity, criticism and mean-spiritedness; instead, our words will always be gracious and edifying, respectful of the people with whom we converse (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29).

    So also with the ways we do our work, raise our children, participate in the culture of our day, and conduct ourselves with dignity and grace. We are new creatures in Jesus Christ, and, therefore, in many ways, out of step with the surrounding culture. But by living the truth in every aspect of our lives we shine the light of Jesus and exude the fragrance of His worldview into every nook and cranny of our lives.

    Believers need to work hard at being the fragrance of Jesus. By steeping ourselves in God's Word and living in an attitude of prayer … we can begin to waft the fragrant smell of King Jesus into more of the everyday aspects and areas of our lives. Let us resolve to be that fragrance of truth and love, and we will find that the wind of God's Spirit will accompany us everywhere we go, sending the aroma of Jesus to all and everyone, as well as to God.—T. M. Moore4

    Jesus has entrusted us with the responsibility of passing on His personal, unconditional, all-encompassing love to our fellow men and women, to those who share the planet with us today. The commission He has given to His disciples is to take the gospel to all the world. Wherever the Lord has called you to is your mission field, and you are called to serve and reach the people He places in your path. Every one of us has some opportunity, some network, some realm in which we can be sharing His love and truth with others, strengthening people’s faith, hope, and hearts.

    May the Lord bless your discipleship and service to Him and witness to others so that you can be the salt of the earth and the light of the world He has called us to be (Matthew 5:13–14). Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). In so doing, we will be living a life of discipleship that glorifies God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

    Thoughts to Ponder

    Discipleship isn’t a program or an event; it’s a way of life. It’s not for a limited time, but for our whole life. Discipleship … is for all believers for every day of their life.—Bill Hull

    Every believer who takes seriously their vocation as a disciple of Jesus will see themselves as a “sent one” wherever they find themselves, and will look to be mobilized into action in that place. This could take the form of being a “good witness” at work or a good neighbor to those who live nearby, or it could involve volunteering.—Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

    Don’t allow the words of Jesus to only stay printed in your Bible. Give them wings, springing them into action. There are souls in your life who need your nurture. Consider how you might show concern for their welfare, loving and caring for them the way you already love and care for yourself. When you do, you’ll be completing the chain of love that began when God first loved you.—Karen Ehman

    What the Bible Says

    “Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:4–5; John 15:8 NKJV).

    “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7).

    “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude 1:20–21 NIV).

    A Prayer for Everyday Discipleship

    Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me, calling me, and giving me purpose. You are so good, and your grace is sufficient for me. I ask that you cleanse my heart from sin and clear my mind of the distractions that attempt to draw me away from fellowship with you today. Help me abide in Christ, to learn from Him and lean on Him, so I can live for Him and lead others to Him. You are worthy of all of my devotion and praise. Make me a faithful and fruitful disciple who brings you glory every day. In the mighty and matchless name of Christ, my King, I pray, Amen.5

    1 Scott Montrose, “Life’s Editing,” Activated, January 2021, https://activated.org/en/life/the-whole-you/personal-growth/lifes-editing/

    2 Charles Price, Christ for Real: How to Grow into Christ’s Likeness (Kregel Publications, 2011).

    3 Richard Stearns, Unfinished: Believing Is Only the Beginning (Thomas Nelson, 2013).

    4 T. M. Moore, “The Fragrance of Truth and Love,” January 29, 2010.

    5 Annie McGuire, “What is a disciple of Christ?” Daily His Disciple, January 11, 2022, https://dailyhisdisciple.com/2022/01/11/what-is-a-disciple-of-christ/.

     

  • May 19 The Life of Discipleship, Part 11: Sharing Our Resources
  • Apr 28 The Life of Discipleship, Part 10: Our Work Life
  • Mar 17 The Life of Discipleship, Part 9: Discipling Others
  • Mar 3 1 Corinthians: Chapter 15 (verses 37–58)
  • Feb 17 The Life of Discipleship, Part 8: Sharing Our Faith
  • Feb 3 1 Corinthians: Chapter 15 (verses 20–36)
  • Jan 20 The Life of Discipleship, Part 7: Serving God by Serving Others
  • Dec 16 1 Corinthians: Chapter 15 (verses 1–19)
  • Dec 2 The Life of Discipleship, Part 6: Love for Others
   

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  • The Family International (TFI) is an international online Christian community committed to sharing the message of God’s love with people around the globe. We believe that everyone can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which affords happiness and peace of mind, as well as the motivation to help others and to share the good news of His love.

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  • The primary goal of the Family International is to improve the quality of life of others by sharing the life-giving message of love, hope, and salvation found in God’s Word. We believe that God's love—applied on a practical level to our daily lives—is the key to resolving many of society's problems, even in the complex and fast-paced world of today. Through imparting the hope and guidance found in the Bible’s teachings, we believe that we can work toward building a better world—changing the world, one heart at a time.

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    We put our faith into action and reach out to weary and troubled hearts, the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and needy, as unto Jesus.

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1 and 2 Thessalonians
A study of Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians and how these teachings apply today.
The Heart of It All: Foundations of Christian Theology
A book compiled from a series of articles covering the basics of Christian doctrine.
Living Christianity
Applying the teachings of the Bible to our daily lives and decisions.