Hold Fast

 

You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

—Deuteronomy 13:4

Someone once described an extremely well-educated person as a person who knew more and more about less and less until they knew everything about nothing. I don’t exactly resonate with that sentiment. I happen to believe that education and skills-training has great value. In fact, I had the privilege during my time as the Director of Loss Prevention Training for a large insurance company to lead a team that completely revamped the training program, turning it into a skills-based certification program. So, make no mistake, I hold education and skills-training in high regard.

Nevertheless, I can somewhat understand what the person who coined that description of higher level education intended to describe. I have known individuals who had so immersed themselves in knowledge about a particular subject that they could hardly function in the broader world.

A bit of a practical example of that came to mind recently when I read a post on Facebook by someone who had completed seminary training at a liberal seminary, in order to become a pastor. This person argued that many Evangelical Christians pick and choose key passages from the Old Testament that surely do not apply in our modern age. This pastor insisted that the Evangelicals like to quote these Scripture passages even though, in the opinion of the individual writing the Facebook post, they quote the passages out of the context in which the passages originally applied. This liberal seminary-trained pastor asserted that the Old Testament no longer applies to today.

As I read this Facebook post, I did a bit of a double-take at this last assertion. I did so because the entirety of Scripture—Old Testament and New Testament—provides us with what scholars call “The Whole Counsel of God.”

Of course, certain rules and regulations contained within the Mosaic Law no longer apply to us because—when God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth—a New Covenant was established. At the same time, as Romans 11 clearly states, God has grated us Gentile believers into the vine of His chosen people, the Jews. We remain Gentiles. But, God has chosen us, just as surely as He chose the people of Israel to be His special ones.

The point I am leading to lies in the fact that as “Christ’s-ones,” we have much to learn from, and to cling to, the truth contained in the pages of the Old Testament. A case in point is the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post. This verse from the Mosaic Law found in the Book of Deuteronomy—the last Book of the Torah—gives us instruction that certainly applies to our walk with God today.

Notice the elements of this verse:

• Walk after the Lord your God
  
  
• Fear Him
  
  
• Keep His commandments
  
  
• Obey His voice
  
  
• Serve Him and hold fast to Him
  
  

As we begin our walk with God each day, these five precepts certainly have great power to guide our lives. As enabled by the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, we can move through the events of each day following a pathway that is marked by obedience: in our walk, in our reverence to God, in our obedience to His commandments, in listening for Him speaking to the depths of our innermost being, in serving Him and holding fast to Him. Most surely, those marching orders give us a wise way to live.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

No Other Savior

 

“I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.”

—Isaiah 43:11-12

As a teenager, I had the privilege of spending time at two Christian summer camps. One camp, Camp Findley of the Evangelical United Brethren Church, was located on the lovely Findley Lake in western New York State, just 45 minutes from my current residence. I met my wife of 58 years there when I was just 15 years old.

The second Christian summer camp, Odosagih Bible Conference, was located on the western shore of Lime Lake in Machias, New York—in central western New York State, southeast of Buffalo, NY—just about two hours from my current residence. The significant impact of these two Christian camps on the spiritual formation during my teenage years cannot be denied. I had the privilege of hearing many encouraging and motivating Bible teachers.

On particular Bible teacher at Odosagih Bible Conference was Marlin C. “Butch” Hardman, at that time the Director of Youth for Christ International in Washington, DC. Butch Hardman began one teaching session with these words:

“In this life, if you cannot be smart, handsome, or cool, at least be unique.”

I have thought about that potent phrase many times over the years. The fact that Butch Hardman was smart, handsome, and very cool also made him quite unique among the people that I knew in those younger days of my life. Nevertheless, his suggestion that a person develop those characteristics that make one unique has always had the ring of truth to me.

In the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, God declares that He is unique. He states that He alone is the one and only savior. He alone is the one true God. He alone is the only one with the power to create. And, He alone is the only one with the power to save.

As we begin another day, let’s remember that the One who has chosen us to belong to Himself is the only one who can save us from the penalty of our sins. That is the very reason why God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die in our place. God has saved us. He has called us to Himself. He sustains us. He delivers us from the powers of sin, death, and Satan. Our God is totally and completely and absolutely unique. He is no strange god. He is our God!

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Trapped in the Desert

 

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

—Psalm 63:1

Think for a moment with me, if you will: “What was the time in your life when you felt the most thirsty you have ever felt?” You wanted a drink of water so badly that you could hardly stand it. Your mouth was chokingly dry. You couldn’t produce any saliva if you tried. Or, maybe, you have never had such a circumstance. Maybe you’ve never felt the need for a drink of water to that extent.

In the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, the Psalmist David built an entire Psalm on the theme of intense thirst. In this case, King David likened the need for a drink of water to quench a thirst in his very soul. Just as an extremely thirsty person seeks for that soothing drink of water, so King David declares that his soul thirst for God. David declares that he earnestly seeks God because God is the only refreshment that can meet the need of the entirety of David’s being.

Have you every felt such a need? Has there ever been a time in your life when you so greatly longed for God that knowing He was present soothed your soul like the coolest drink of water soothes the thirst of a person trapped in the hottest desert? I have had such an experience on a number of occasions in my life.

In each of those times when my soul needed refreshment, God was always present. He was the One—the only One—who could satisfy the need of my soul.

Lanny Wolfe has written a song that illustrates this truth with a truly moving melody that supports these words: ¹

The world will try to satisfy
That longing in your soul.
You may search the wide world o’er
But you’ll be just as before!
You’ll never find true satisfaction
Until you’ve found the Lord,
For only Jesus can satisfy your soul.

Chorus:
Only Jesus can satisfy your soul,
And only He can change your heart and make you whole.
He’ll give you peace you never knew,
Sweet, love and joy and heaven too,
For only Jesus can satisfy your soul!

If you could have the fame and fortune,
All the wealth you could obtain.
Yet you have not Christ within,
Your living here would be in vain.
There’ll come a time when death shall call you
Riches cannot help you then,
So come to Jesus for only He can satisfy.

Chorus:
Only Jesus can satisfy your soul,
And only He can change your heart and make you whole.
He’ll give you peace you never knew,
(Sweet), love and joy and heaven too,
For only Jesus can satisfy your soul!

 

______________________

1 Wolfe, Lanny. “Only Jesus Can Satisfy Your Soul.” Sugar Land, TX: Lanny Wolfe Music, 1971.

Please note that in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Everlasting Rock

 

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

—Isaiah 26:4

We learned in Elementary School science class how the flowing water of a river or stream will bear against the rocks in the river bed or stream bed and, over a long period of time, wear the surface of the rock until it becomes very smooth. Such water-smoothed rocks become quite valuable to builders who use these smooth rocks for fill in certain construction applications.

Imagine for a moment that there might exist a rock that water cannot affect. Such a rock has such hardness, such permanence, that no matter to what that rock may become subjected, it retains its original shape and substance. We know that no such rock exists on this earth. If we look at some great feat of nature, such as the Grand Canyon, we have all the proof of this reality that we need. Even the dense rocks of the mighty walls of that canyon cannot stand against the flow of water during hundreds, even thousands, of years.

But, a rock does exist that fits the definition of the rock that never changes. The Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post talks about just such a rock. And, God is that everlasting rock. Nothing can change Him. God tells us, in Revelation 1:8:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

As a result of this unyielding permanence of God, we can do exactly what the verse at the beginning of this blog post tells us to do. We can trust in the Lord. We can trust in Him because he never changes. No matter how fluid the circumstances of our lives may seem, God remains the same. He is the everlasting rock.

Each day, as we move out into the world of our lives, we can trust in the Lord to lead and guide us. He never changes. He will always give us all we need to live for Him and serve Him.

Back in the early 1970s, Ronald S. Harris and Stormie Omartian wrote a song that celebrates the very essence of this truth: ¹

Life is moving faster than it ever has before.
What tomorrow brings us, isn’t certain anymore.
So many paths from which to choose,
Don’t know which way to run.
But every road leads nowhere except for one.

Praise the Lord, He never changes.
I talk to Him, He’s always there.
He comforts me on every level,
Takes the burden that I bear.
Praise the Lord, He never changes.
He’s never any other way.
And He’ll be the same tomorrow,
As He was and is today.

Friends and faces come and go like ashes in the wind.
Attitudes arise that I just don’t fully understand.
The things that you can count upon, grow fewer every day.
But when that number gets to one,
That One will show the way.

Praise the Lord, He never changes.
I talk to Him, He’s always there.
He comforts me on every level,
Takes the burden that I bear.
Praise the Lord, He never changes.
He’s never any other way.
And He’ll be the same tomorrow,
As He was and is today.

The Heritage Singers have recorded this delightful song. I urge you to listen to the music in this video:

 

 

 

______________________

1 Harris, Ronald S. and Omartian, Stormie. “Praise the Lord, He Never Changes.” Nashville, TN: Word Music, 1975.

Please note that in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Seek God

 

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

—Isaiah 55:6

The Prophet Isaiah was faced with the monumental task of holding people accountable to the Laws of God. As a prophet, Isaiah represented God to the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This Kingdom consisted of Jewish people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some from the Tribe of Levi. Unlike their northern neighbors—the Jewish people from the remaining 10 tribes—Judah had remained much more faithful to God. As a result, God had given them wise prophets, who led them through the times of distress for several hundreds of years.

In fact, Isaiah served as a prophet through the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, or a period of time of at least 64 years. For this period in history, a 64-year-long time of service was exceptional. During this time, Isaiah faced the struggle of constantly teaching the people the value of obedience to God and he spent a great deal of his efforts in trying to encourage deep spiritual formation on the part of the people God had placed under Isaiah’s care.

It should pose no surprise to us that, in the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, Isaiah urges the people in his care to seek the Lord. Basically, Isaiah tells the people that God has made Himself available to them. While God has done this, it will prove wise for the people to take advantage of this special grace that God has given them. As long as God makes Himself available, the people should actively and ardently seek Him.

How should they seek God? By calling upon Him. In other words, if God has chosen to make Himself available, the people should call upon Him to help them live their lives in the best possible way.

Such an admonition certainly applies today for those of us whom God has called to Himself. We “Christ’s-ones,” or Christians, have the most fortunate circumstance that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us and call us to follow Him. No matter to what branch of the Christian faith we may belong, the reality remains that one way or another God has called us to Himself. In so doing, God has extended His grace to us. Why has He done this? Because He is a merciful God—that is, He is full of mercy. God is also overflowing with love. So, we can say with confidence that in His unfailing love and mercy, God has extended His grace to us and called us to Himself. He has united us with Himself through the sacrifice of His one and only Son, Jesus, whose precious blood has paid the penalty for our sins.

Having called us to Himself, God has transformed us from mere creatures to actual children—as clearly described in John 1:12. Because we are God’s children, we must heed the words of the Prophet Isaiah and seek the Lord because He has chosen to make Himself available to us. In seeking God, we must call upon Him because He has made Himself near to us.

As we begin another new day of life, these words from the Prophet Isaiah should breathe new energy into us. The very fact that, as God’s dearly loved children, He has drawn near to us, we should take full advantage and call upon Him. He is waiting to welcome us. He is longing to have fellowship with us. He wants to make our lives fairly glow with His divine Presence in and through us. So, let’s not hesitate to do as the Prophet suggests—this day and every day.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Safely Trusting

 

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

—Proverbs 29:25

At this particular time in our lives, there seems much to frighten us. We have a host of fearful happenings. Diseases seem to flourish these days. More and more people we know seem afflicted with heart disease, or some type of cancer, or failing mental accuity, or … Well, you can likely add to this list, I’m sure.

With some many sources of fear in our lives, it is more important than ever for us to find a source of hope that we can cling to in the midst of our darkest hours. That’s why the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post has such great importance.

King Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, wrote this verse as part of the Proverbs he wanted the people of Israel to remember, and by which they should set the course of their days on this earth. The verse at the beginning of this blog post calls us to remain aware of the potent negativity that fear can bring into our lives. The antidote to fear arises when we place our trust in God. In fact, King Solomon contends that trust in the Lord brings with is a safety that overcomes the negativity of fear.

As we begin this new day, let’s lay aside the fear that so easily grips our lives. Instead, let’s put our trust in the God who loves us with His everlasting, unfailing, and undying love. He is the one who can overcome fear in our lives. We remain safe when we trust in Him.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Great Heavenly Reward

 

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

—Matthew 5:11-12

At the beginning of the famous sermon of the Lord Jesus Christ found in Matthew 5, 6, and 7—the passage that Bible scholars have titled the “Sermon on the Mount”—we find a list of items that begin with the word “blessed.” Often referred to as “The Beatitudes,” these items chart a pathway for the life of one who believes in the life-transforming power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  
  
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
  
  
• Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
  
  
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
  
  
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
  
  
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
  
  
• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
  
  
• Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  
  

Then, we come to the last of this list of pathways to blessing. It is found in the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post:

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In an age where many people despise the idea that there is a God who rules over the universe, a God who is holy and condemns sin, a God who expects people to worship Him, we who believe find ourselves experiencing both subtle and not so subtle persecution. In some parts of the world, this persecution has terrible physical consequences. Here in the United States, the persecution has a more psychological substance. Whether physical or psychological, the persecution is very real.

Our only hope comes from understanding that those who believe will become persecuted and this persecution comes with a great reward from the God who loves us and whom we serve. So, we need to take heart, hold our heads upright, and speak forth the praise of which our God is worthy.

We must not hide the Light of Christ under a bushel of our fear or reluctance. We must forthrightly proclaim that we belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In so doing, we will fulfill the purpose for which God has called us to Himself and redeemed us from our sins through the precious blood of His one and only Son, Jesus.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}