Deuteronomy 10:20a (NIV) You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him.

Have you ever seen a toddler that is being held by his mother or father when a stranger approaches? He immediately clings to mom or dad for dear life. Whenever a young child faces danger or uncertainty, they cling to their loved one. When I was a little boy and saw that my father was leaving the house to go to work, I would cling to his legs, not wanting him to leave me. I would hold him tight, hoping that I would be able to stop him from leaving. At other times, I would be clingy with my mom or dad just because I felt comforted by their embrace.

We should take a lesson from little children who know how to hold on to mom or dad for dear life when there is danger or who hold on tightly just to give and receive love. The God who put that drive in us to cling to our parents for love and protection as little children is the same God that invites us to cling to Him for life. The three things that the verse of scripture above admonishes us to do will keep us safe and sound in the Lord's care if we would only do them. First, we must fear God, which means that we should have deep respect for who He is. He is Almighty God, and reverence and awe are healthy reactions to His presence. Then, we need to worship Him because that connects our spirit with His Spirit as our hearts and souls are lifted into the very throne room of God as we adore Him. Finally, we need to cling to Him...always.

The one thing that we need to learn to do that many Christians don't do (to their own detriment) is to hold on tightly to Jesus, not letting go because we are that needy. As adults, we like to pride ourselves in our sufficiency, trying to convince ourselves and others that we can take care of ourselves. But when we are all alone with our issues and our thoughts, the truth is that we don't do well by ourselves. That's because we were created to be with God and therefore, we need Him desperately. The good news is that His end of the relationship is solid. Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). The problem when separation comes lies with us. We move away instead of clinging to Jesus. There are many reasons why this happens such as being lured by sin, allowing doubt to overtake us, getting angry with the Lord because He didn't answer our prayers the way we thought He should have, etc. But all this does is head us into trouble because we do not do well without the Lord. Jesus told us that apart from Him, we could do nothing (John 15:5), but it takes us a while to realize that this is absolutely true. Therefore, it is wise to cling to Jesus and never let go. We need Him...every day, every hour, and every moment. Cling to Jesus who is "The Life," for dear life.

Pastor Joey Vazquez