Hold Fast
READ
Here's a statement that might surprise you: devotion requires disgust. We don't usually think about it that way. When we think about being devoted, we imagine warm feelings, peaceful prayers, and acts of service done with a smile. But Paul says something striking here: if you want to live a devoted life, you need to hate what is evil and hold fast to what is good. Devotion isn't passive. It's not neutral. It makes a choice every single day.
Think about the things you hold fast to—the things you grip tightly, refuse to let go of, fight to keep in your life. What are they? Maybe it's a relationship that grounds you. Maybe it's a value you refuse to compromise on. Maybe it's a dream you've been nurturing for years. Whatever it is, holding fast takes effort. It's active. It's intentional. It's a conscious decision to not let go, even when it would be easier to just drift away.
That's the picture Paul is painting in today’s passage.
Let’s take a moment to read Romans 12:9b:
"hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good"
REFLECT
Devotion means actively choosing good and actively rejecting evil. It means we can't just coast through life letting whatever happens happen. We have to pay attention. We have to decide. We have to cling to some things and release others.
But here's what makes this challenging: we live in a world that tells us everything is fine, everything is neutral, everything is just a matter of personal preference. We're told not to be too judgmental, not to draw too many lines, not to make too big a deal out of anything. And while there's wisdom in not being harsh or self-righteous, there's also danger in losing our ability to discern between what gives life and what drains it, between what builds up and what tears down, between what draws us closer to God and what pulls us away.
Devotion is a way of life, not just a feeling. And a way of life requires a direction. You can't walk in every direction at once. You have to choose a path. Paul is saying: choose wisely. Hate what destroys. Hold fast to what heals. Push away what deadens your soul. Cling to what makes you more alive, more loving, more like Jesus.
This isn't about becoming rigid or joyless or judgmental. It's about becoming awake. It's about paying attention to what's actually happening in your heart, your habits, your relationships. It's about asking: Is this pulling me toward love or away from it? Is this making me more whole or more fragmented? Is this drawing me closer to God or subtly leading me somewhere else?
Devotion requires clarity. It requires the courage to name what's destructive and the strength to hold onto what's life-giving. It's not always easy. Sometimes what we need to release is comfortable. Sometimes what we need to hold fast to is costly. But this is what it means to be all-in, over time. This is what it means to bring your whole self to God and to others.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
What "good" things in your life do you need to hold fast to more intentionally?
What patterns or habits are subtly pulling you away from devotion to God and others?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
God, give me eyes to see clearly. Help me recognize what is truly good and what only looks good on the surface. Give me courage to hate what destroys and wisdom to hold fast to what gives life. Shape my desires so that I want what You want, love what You love, and treasure what matters most. Amen.