1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Steadfastness is a prime virtue. "Be sure you are right, and then hold on though the heavens fall." "Prove all things," and adhere to the "good," and surrender it only with life. Hold fast — I. TO YOUR FAITH. It is a lie of the devil that "it matters not what a man believes." As he believes so is he. Throw away or tamper with your faith in the inspiration and Divine authority of the Scriptures, and you are sure to go astray and perish in your unbelief. II. TO YOUR INTEGRITY. To let go one particle of it — to compromise in the least with wrong — endangers your soul, and is sure to forfeit your peace of mind and your Christian standing and influence. III. TO YOUR PROFESSION. Cleave to the Church which Christ purchased with His blood. Honour and magnify its mission. Sustain and advance its interests by all the means and influence which God has given you. IV. TO CHRISTIAN EFFORT in behalf of souls. "Be not weary in well-doing." Guard against "an evil heart of unbelief." Do not doubt "the promises" — they are all "yea and amen in Christ Jesus." The night of fear and struggle and waiting may be long and dark, but the morning will come to gladden you, if, like Jacob, you hold on. V. TO PRAYER. Be sure you get hold of the everlasting arm, and then not let go. Persevere in the face of a thousand obstacles. Let not God go till He bless. Be not denied. Turn rebuke and seeming denial into fresh pleas, as did the Syro-Phoenicia woman. The answer, the blessing, is sure, when God gives the grace of perseverance. To "hold fast" is to overcome. VI. "Hold fast" TO HEAVEN. Make it the pole star of life. Never lose sight of it, no, not for an hour. Live daily "as seeing the invisible." (L. O. Thompson.) Parallel Verses KJV: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. |
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