“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  1 Corinthians 15:58

There are over 30 different references in the Bible to Unknown-2.jpegwords like “stand fast” and “steadfast.”  In a day when wishy-washy seems the norm, the Bible sets forth a better way.  In our country we are blessed that our steadfastness does not necessitate facing death, torture, or even physical abuse.  We do not face what Christians have faced in history or even what many face now around much of the world.  In most cases, our endurance can be illustrated with fairly painless firmness- walking away from sinful situations, standing up for Christ when He is put down, not compromising on an issue of rightness and other daily stands that reflect the righteousness found in God’s Word.

Just a cursory look at the world around us gives a vivid picture of the schisms that exist in our world due to flimsy stands.  Even the body of Christ is fractured because people don’t plant themselves but choose to hop from one church to another looking for just the “right” one.  images.pngWe live in an age where nothing moves us more quickly than discomfort.  If we don’t like our church, we leave; our wife, we leave; our job, we leave; our faith, we leave.  What constitutes “not liking?”  Discomfort.

It would be different if we were moving because we stand for great causes; but unfortunately, we usually move because we can’t stand small and meaningless issues. A congregation might split on the color of pews, but stay silent when a pastor says the Bible is a flawed document. We just don’t know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. Think of how different our world would be if more of us were “steadfast” on the right things and flexible on the small.  There would be more unity, cohesion, togetherness, and power in the body of Christ.

To be steadfast and unmovable we must be spiritually grounded. A steadfast person knows what he believes and cannot be “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching,”  (Ephesians 4:14)  An steadfast person can hear false teaching, engage doubters, and defend truth without it shaking his own faith.

Being steadfast is keeping our promises, staying true to our families, being faithful to our employers, standing for God and His Word and host of other right behaviors. Steadfastness is an anchor that keeps us in place. It keeps us from drifting from where we should be.  We are called to stand fast in faith, Unknown-3rejoicing in the liberty we find in Christ, united by one spirit, strong in the Lord, relying on the teachings of the Bible.  When we are steadfast in these things, the Bible tells us we will not be afraid and God will establish us. “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; (if) His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”  Psalm 112:7  When we choose to be tossed around instead of being steadfast, we will not be faithful to God.  Look at what the Bible says in Psalm 78:37, “For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

Unknown-4.jpegHaving faith helps us stand strong in times of trial as the following story illustrates. One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

IMG_3689  How about our relationships?  Are we steadfast in our promises?  We can choose to be anchored to the rock – to Christ the anchor of our souls. We need to jump into the arms of Christ and stay there.  If the distractions of the world grow so great that we cannot see Him clearly, stay strong, hear his Word,  trust in Him, rely on His strength, because He can see us and that’s all that matters.