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Saturday, September 7, 2013

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Colossians 1:21-23
Psalm 54:3-6, 8
Luke 6:1-5

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i will never leave you

"You must hold fast to faith." —Colossians 1:23

Will you ever lose your first love for Jesus (Rv 2:4), fall away from the faith (2 Cor 11:3), and become a backslider? (Jas 4:8) Will you begin in the Spirit but end in the flesh? (Gal 3:3) After fleeing "a polluted world by recognizing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," will you be "caught up and overcome in pollution once more"? (2 Pt 2:20) It is better "not to have recognized the road to holiness" than to fall away from the faith (2 Pt 2:21). A fallen-away Christian is in a worse condition than that of a non-Christian (2 Pt 2:20; see also Lk 11:24-26; Heb 6:4-6).

Therefore, "be solicitous to make your call and election permanent, brothers; surely those who do so will never be lost. On the contrary, your entry into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for" (2 Pt 1:10-11). "Hold fast to faith, be firmly grounded and steadfast in it, unshaken in the hope promised you by the gospel" (Col 1:23).

Even when the mass apostasy occurs and Christians in unprecedented numbers fall away from their love for the Lord (2 Thes 2:3), by God's grace we will not be "among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and live" (Heb 10:39). Never stop loving Jesus. Never love Him less. Love Him fully forever.

Prayer:  Father, may I suffer and die rather than sin (see Heb 12:4).

Promise:  "Behold, God is my Helper; the Lord sustains my life." —Ps 54:6

Praise:  Though friends have fallen from the Church, Mary remains true to her faith.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our tape Hold Fast to the Faith on audio AV 71-1 or video V-71.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 4, 2013

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