Hold Fast

December 19th

Today's Bible Reading

Hold Fast

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

It is easy to let go of certain things in our life, while desperately seeking to keep hold on to other areas of our life. We want to let go of our childish ways, but remember the cherished memories of childhood. We need to let go of bad habits but retain the good aspects of our unhealthy living. We want to “hold fast” to what is good but remove those things that are not beneficial to our wellbeing.

In our text we are told to “hold fast the confession of our hope”. This is descriptive of the totality of our profession of faith combined with our foundational Christian beliefs. It is more than just our public profession of Christ, but the basis of what we avow and adhere to regarding our faith. It is what cannot be easily dismissed and remain a disciple of Christ.  To let go of this confession would be to leave Christ. He is eternal hope of abundant life now and everlasting life in the future. A person of genuine faith cannot easily walk away from Jesus. Their confession constrains them.

This doesn’t mean that our faith doesn’t waver. It does. That is why we are encouraged to be aware if our ever shifting state. There are days when our faith flounders and days when it flourishes. The writer if Hebrews understands this fluid dynamic in the life of every disciple, which is why he challenges us to “hold fast” “without wavering”. And that is what we must do to maintain the integrity of our confession.

Here our writer gives us factors that will help us to hold fast. First, He sets forth the promises of God. He declares that He is faithful. The one who promised that our hearts are “sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water will not change his position regarding us. The one who declared that by the blood of Jesus we have been set free from sin and death will not modify His viewpoint. The one who promised to give eternal life to those who turn to and trust in Him will not waver on His promise. All of this assures us that He is faithful to do what He has promised. Therefore, this gives us confidence to hold fast without waving to our confession of hope. His promise to us helps us maintain our commitment to Him.

Second, He sets forth the people of God who can help us hold fast. We are told that our relationship with the body of Christ should stir up in us love for one another and good works (Heb 10:24). We are also challenged to not to neglect attending regular interactions with other believers so together we can help each other “hold fast to our confession. (Heb 10:25).  So we must never underestimate the power that fellowship with other believes holds to help us hold fast when we waver in our faith. Together we stand while apart we stumble.

Today, thank God for His promises and His people that He has placed in your life to help you hold fast to the confession of your hope. If you have a chance and an opportunity, take time to personally thank someone who has stood with you when your faith wavered. Thank them for being there to help you hold fast.