Stand Firm in Your Faith – January 22, 2021

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:15

Stand Firm in Your Faith

I know quite a few people who used to be Christians but have lost their faith. Some of them stopped believing when they went off to college. Their professors said that Christianity was foolish and they didn’t want to be known as fools, so they denied Christ. Or classmates told them that the Bible is hateful towards LGBTQ people. They didn’t want to be hateful, so they gave up on Christianity. Others started watching YouTube videos that taught that science has disproven God. They didn’t want to be anti-scientific, so they abandoned Jesus.

Each person left Christianity for different reasons. But they all had this one thing in common. None of them were feeding their faith. None of them were actively going to church and speaking with their pastor and other Christians. Jesus predicted that these people would fall when he told the parable of “The Sower and the Seed.” In his story, Jesus compares our faith to a plant. If our faith is not “fed” and “watered,” it will dry up or get choked out by the weeds of life.

That’s why Paul told his congregation in Thessalonica to “stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” Paul knew that it is not enough to just hear the Word of God once. Followers of Jesus need to actively take hold of it, absorbing Biblical sermons, and meditating on what Paul and the other Biblical authors wrote down.

Wherever you might be in your relationship with the Lord, stand firm in the message of God’s love for you in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Lord God, lead me to stand firm and hold fast to your precious Word. Don’t let the devil or anything in this world snatch me from your hand. Amen.