Deuteronomy 13:4  It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

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We dined at a highly-regarded restaurant in Park City, Utah a few nights ago. The woman who was directing traffic among those with reservations, those who walked in, and those who escorted diners to their tables had a full arm tattoo of intricate and delicate drawings. Her pleasant demeanor and focus on every person she spoke to leads one to believe she has interesting stories to tell. However, she was too busy that evening to ask. 

In Michael Connelly’s Bosch novels, Bosch as a young man had the words Hold Fast tattooed across his fingers. He did so because an older military man he admired had these words tattooed on his fingers. Read the novels to see how he went about removing those tattoos years later. 

This Bible passage is not about tattoos. However, if you were ever going to tattoo something on your fingers, you could certainly do worse than HOLD FAST. It would give you an opportunity to explain this Bible verse. HOLD FAST to Jesus. 

Who is your favorite Bible teacher or preacher? If you have been a Christian for a while, you probably have a few you enjoy more than others. So do I. Remember, however, “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.”

What does this mean? Never esteem a preacher, a teacher, or a scholar in the same manner you esteem Jesus. Make sure your favorite teachers always point to Jesus, not to themselves. If your favorite preacher is the star of his or her own show and draws all people to him or her, he or she is doing it wrong. Badly wrong. Dangerously wrong. 

This passage is about false prophets. Read verses 1-5 and see God’s solution for such teachers back in the day Israel was moving into the Promised Land. 

This does not mean you are to go gather up the people you consider heretics and burn them at the stake. This does not mean you get to say mean things about preachers and teachers and scholars on social media even though there are plenty indeed who play this game.

The Big Idea in this text is to know and experience God for yourself. Have a firsthand faith. Know what God says. Do what God says. Trust him completely. Question anyone who tells you something different. HOLD FAST.

In the Life Younique discipleship toolkit we use Two-Word Technology to help people declare their One Thing. My two words are Maximizing Dreams. Holding Fast would make a good One Thing. 

Fresh snow has fallen overnight. We have a free day to rest and explore before packing up and heading home. It is still quiet here in our room. Most people are still asleep. The rush will begin soon as ski boots stomp and excited voices fill the air. 

What does your day look like? Here is an invitation to HOLD FAST to Jesus no matter what comes your way. One Thing more: If you are worried you might lose your grip on Jesus, remember what he said about HOLDing Fast in John 10:28-30:

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

If you belong to Jesus, you will always belong to Jesus. Hold fast to his wisdom and instructions for life. He will hold you in what Max Lucado calls the Grip of His Grace.

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I will hold fast to Jesus and his words of truth and life.

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Our Father, thank you for holding onto me. Your grip is better than mine. Empower me to hold fast to your words of truth and life, to do what you say. Thank you for the grip of your grace. Amen.