“Let us HOLD FAST the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER IN ORDER TO STIR UP LOVE AND GOOD WORKS… EXHORTING ONE ANOTHER, and so much the more as you SEE the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:23-25) It is not enough to just draw near to Him. This passage tells us that we must also HOLD FAST [something we do not change our mind about] TO THE CONFESSION OF OUR HOPE. We must not worship God SILENTLY AND IN SECRET, but must also DISPLAY OUR ALLEGIANCE TO GOD PUBLICLY. Here we see the close connection between true faith and outward practice that is highlighted everywhere in the bible.
- Holding Fast Means Trusting in God. Trusting God is hard. He asks for some pretty big things from those who follow Him. Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, David defeated a giant with a handful of pebbles, Peter walked on water, Paul was shipwrecked, but they all faithfully held fast.
- Holding Fast Means Being Anchored. The storms of life my toss us to and fro a bit, but we don’t wander from His side when they do. If we are tightly secured to Him, the world may get our attention but it cannot woo us from His hold. It means while we might be tempted, we hold fast and don’t give in.
- Holding Fast Means Staying In The Word. First, we need to read the Word. Then we need to do it. It’s very simple in theory, but so challenging in execution. For us, today, that means that we need to make sure we don’t have any idols that rule our affections. And it also means we get to enjoy the benefits of holding fast to God.
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault HOLDING FAST THE WORD OF LIFE…(Phil. 2:14-16)
-Bill Stockham