The word “stedfast” is mentioned 11 times in the Bible. In each case, the origin of the word is congruent with the next so that each retains the same basic root meaning. The Greek word in I Cor. 15:58 is hedraios, which simply means “settled.” Hebrews speaks of stedfast as stability when it says, Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.
Consider the average family in America today. They are described as bored, unsettled; seeking for entertainment and often aloof. The average person will move 11 times in their lifetime. I find the irony of the number of moves and the number of times the word “stedfast” is found in the scripture. Today, both jobs and relationships are interchangeable. Friendships reflect this unsettled state. A friend that lasts 5-7 years is a rarity, while most friendships last less than 36 months. Church affiliations, marriages, jobs, and a host of other things reflect similar movement. Doctrines are being revised even as I write. Paul wrote that the opposite of a child of God is one that is tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” James spoke about James 1:6 For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Then added, James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
To find someone who can weather the storms, stay true to the doctrine, stay planted in the church, retain a positive attitude, and respond consistently with faith is nothing less than a treasure. Paul encouraged the Corinthians: 1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. He did not commend them that they had managed such a thing. Being stedfast is critical to the efforts of the Kingdom.
The cause might be complex, but I believe, one root is lost focus. We have shifted to pleasure instead of duty. Paul wrote that in the last days people would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. The desires of the flesh have become the lead cause of our disjointed world and the division of the church. For this reason, we must remove the things of the world from our view and build a firm foundation in the holy things of God and in this house of Worship. I’m after a stedfast relationship with God and with you.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole