Hold Out and Onto . . . To The End
Philippians 2:16, Devotional #7

Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless.
Philippians 2:16

Father, the New Living Translation reads, "Hold tightly to the word of life." The New International Version reads, "... as you hold out the word of life." The King James version reads, "Holding forth the word of life." And the translation, simply put, means: that as we live our lives, live them holding out and onto the faith we have in Jesus our Lord.

Way back when these words were written and up to even today, we live in a world where many don't call You Lord, God, Creator, Friend. We live in a world that wants "life" its way and not Your way. We live where people don't live for You but live for themselves only and what benefits them alone.

Father, life does not go our way all the time. It's sure nice when it does, but it doesn't always. There are some very hard times in this journey through life. There are times of injustice, unfairness, just plain wrong bad stuff that happens and sometimes it happens to us, and sometimes even our 'friends' do it! These words of Yours say to me that our call is to faith, to keep holding out Your truth, to keep on keeping on in living and sharing Your love. These verses remind me that these few years we have here on earth are a call to trust You in the middle of it as well as to the end - to run the race of following hard after You all the way to the end and to encourage others to do the same - to the end.

Yes, Father, there are so many things that try to lead us to abandon faith and truth. Come Holy Spirit, build up all of Yours so that we will hold out and hold onto Your word of life . . . to the end. Come Holy Spirit.

Thank you, Father, in Jesus name. Amen.
        
Love, Dad / Danny