"Hold It!"

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples'." John 8:31

Have you ever truly held on to something? I had a stuffed Snoopy I held when I was a little boy. I remember holding on to a piece of paper my Grandmother had written a note to me on. I held on to the note for years. In fact, I probably still have the note somewhere in a keepsake box. Grandma wrote a short note on an order ticket when we were eating at a restaurant where she was a cook and it was on my plate when the food arrived.

Then there is the Buffalo nickle my mother gave me a few years ago. I hold on to it and remember seeing it in her jewelry box for many years as I grew up. It reminds me of the security of my Mother's voice.

I vividly recall holding all three of my children for the first time. There was something so special about these little lives. It was a God given gift that I was the father to these very precious lives.

I also recall after my first ear surgery in 2007 and how much pain I was in after surgery. The pain medications were not kicking in and I was in terrible pain. I remember holding Karen's hand and the comfort it gave me while we waited. Karen's physical touch brought a sense of comfort and security.

Jesus said, "if you hold...you are my disciples." In other words we must do more than follow, a Christ-follower must possess the teaching. Karen could have just been in the room, I could have looked at the children through a window, I could have just remembered my mother's coin, and thought about my Grandmother's note but I would not have held them in my hand. The possession gave the weight to the reality.

So, I wonder if Christians truly understand what it means to posses the teachings of Jesus? It means that we must possess the teachings of compassion, of grace, and of love. It means that we are fully committed, even if it means that we have to step out on faith, take a risk, or be challenged in the public arena of life. A Christ-follower will "hold" the teaching of Jesus so close that reading and memorizing the scriptures are a necessity of living. The holding of the Biblical teaching is possession and reality of the teaching in actions that are demonstrated.

"Almighty God, Thank you for the teachings. Thank you for revealing yourself to us when we ask. Please help me possess the teachings and hold them close so that others might know I love you. Amen."

You know I love ya and I hold you close to, Don