23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Established and firm in a world of topsy turvy. Established means having a good foundation. Firm has to do with the ability to continue with conviction. I picture the building of a bridge across a river. The construction crew blocks off the raging waters with temporary dams to open up a construction area on the bed of the river. The raging waters swirl around on the other side of the dam, and the crews work to establish a firm foundation. They don’t just start pouring concrete. They instead expend considerable energies digging down deep into the river bed until they hit solid rock. If they can’t establish that secure connection to something that they know will not move their project gets much more complicated because they know the power of water to undermine shallow pilings. Even while they are digging the raging waters continue to work their way around and under their temporary dam. Pumps feverously arrest this potentially fatal seepage and try to keep the worksite dry. If solid rock cannot be found then they must build a foundation so massive that the waters cannot possible move it. The mass has to be so great that it would be impossible for water to undermine its structure. Then the bridge is established. After building the anchor to the river bed they build the structure above it to which the bridge spans are attached. That connection prevents the upper part from detaching from the foundation and the riverbed. We live in a world where the swirling waters are trying to work their way under the foundation we have in Jesus. Jesus is never going to move, so their efforts will not succeed. But our connection to the foundation can be broken. And those waters will succeed unless we have a secure attachment to the Solid Rock. But our connection to Jesus gets tested every day. We must choose repeatedly to remain. And the choice will get tested again and again. The greater the test, the greater our conviction to stay connected must be. How strong is your connection?
The Arnold Journey 