Hold Firmly
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to explain the Gospel loud and clear. How are we saved? By the Gospel. And what is the Gospel? Christ died for our sins; he was buried and raised on the third day! If we hold firmly to this truth, I imagine we can face whatever comes our way during our journey on this earth.
I wasn’t able to tell my dad goodbye before he died. I couldn’t hold his hand and tell how much I loved and appreciated everything he did for me. I couldn’t tell him how proud I was to be his daughter. I couldn’t reassure him that he did enough for his family, and it was okay to leave this world and join his Lord and Savior. I don’t know if he had any doubts in the weeks and days before his unexpected death.
I don’t have any doubts about where my dad resides. I know he walks on those streets of gold. Because I know he held firmly to the Gospel.
I may not have been able to hold my dad’s hand to reassure him and tell him goodbye, but God has given me the privilege to hold the hands of others. I held the hand of my friend Gayle before they removed life support, and I am currently holding the hand of someone whose time is near, and what a sweet pleasure it is to hold firm to these beautiful hands and the Gospel!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shawna
