Establish

es·tab·lish, to establish, an established heart....

My friends have a sign at their front door with their family name stating, "Established in 1985". This was the year that they joined as one and established their family name.

What have you established in life? Have you established a family, a home, a business, a type of life for yourself, a life for someone else?

Say the word ESTABLISH....it has a unique sound to it. I have used this word many times in my life... I am sure but never really gave it much thought until.....I was doing my devotions today and Read the following:

James 5:8 ......Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

I had to read this verse a few times for it to sink in. Then it made me read the verses before and after and I found myself reading the entire book of James. Of course I enjoyed this book again that I have read before, but this time finding hidden treasures that I never realized before.

Now getting back to my new word I like to recite....Established. I had to reflect on this word and the meaning of it for a while. I looked it up in the dictionary and it says:

(dictionary.com) es·tab·lish
1.to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis: to establish a university; to establish a medical practice. 2.to install or settle in a position, place, business, etc.: to establish one's child in business. 3.to show to be valid or true; prove: to establish the facts of the matter. 4.to cause to be accepted or recognized: to establish a custom; She established herself as a leading surgeon. 5.to bring about permanently: to establish order.

In Reviewing the definition I see words like...to found, to institute, to settle in a position, to show to be true, and to bring about permanency. Now bringing this back to the book of James, it says to establish our hearts.

This made me think...have I established my heart in a "position"? Have I established my heart to be true? Have I established my heart in a permanent way?

Continuing in the verse.......for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

When we refer to something being at hand.....it usually means it is close, coming soon, nearby.

Again think on the verse with me.....Establish my heart for the coming of my Lord is at hand.

In the world we live in, it is easy to give our heart away to things of this world. It is easy to have the desires of our heart turn away from things of the Lord. It is easy to work on establishing the things we "think" are important like ...establishing careers, a bank account, a status in the community and even in our church. But our heart is what needs to be established. If our heart is established in the position of loving and serving our Lord, our heart is established on the truth of His Word, and our heart is established on the permanency of trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternity....well, then, the rest of our establishments will fall into place.

Enjoy today and take some time to read the entire book of James. It is short but so powerful. Make sure that your heart is established correctly today and that you are ready and waiting for the coming of our Lord and Savior today.

Lynn W.