Hold Firmly

“Hold firmly the message of life.” (Philippians 2:16a)

The message of life is the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ. This message is, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) It is the message, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) It is the message, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27b) This message has come to us in some manner, we have received it by faith, and it has changed our lives. So Paul says we need to “hold firmly” this message. What does that mean? It means two things.

First, it means we must live it. Living a life that clearly demonstrates a personal walk with God gives evidence of the reality of that relationship. It serves to validate the power of the message to change a life. It helps people reach the conclusion, “That could happen to me, too.” This is witness by example, the foundation for the next truth.

The second thing “hold firmly” means is that we must speak the message. People may never know the reason for the change in us unless we tell them, unless we give them testimony about what happened to us. Communication is the vehicle by which the gospel is received by others. They need to hear from us the story of Jesus, and they need to hear from us how believing in Him has changed us. Seeing and hearing helps them respond.

Thus, we must hold firmly to this message of life.

So may it be, Lord.