The Grip

Lesson One • Amen
Devotion 1: The Grip
Dr. Randy T. Johnson 

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:28-30

My Uncle Bob was bigger than life. Although he was a Ford executive, he owned a farm. He and my cousin, Bobby, would throw bales of hay around and move equipment by hand. I learned a concept called Farm Strong. Uncle Bob had huge hands, and I remember two things from those mighty mitts. First, when shaking his hand, go deep into his palm, or he will crush my hand (he would even roll my pinky finger). I remember being on my knees saying (or screaming), “Uncle!” Second, I remember him offering me candy if I could pry it out of his hands. I was hopeless.

This is the image I envision when I read John 10:29, “No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” God promises to hold on to believers. Once we accept Christ as Savior, God takes a grip on us. At that moment, He promises to hold on through other passages as well.

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He gives an all-inclusive list to emphasize that He has a grip on us, and He will not let go!

This promise is also expressed in His statement, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). There is nothing I can do to lose my salvation. I did not do anything to get saved – Jesus did all the work on the cross. Therefore, there is nothing I can do to lose it. Our salvation always needs to be about Jesus. I am not the focal point; it must be Jesus.

This is an important promise. Satan wants to get us to take our eyes off of Jesus and place them anywhere else. He tries to tempt us through discouragement, self-doubt, and uncertainty. As believers, we will fall, but that does not mean He gives up on us. Once we gave our life to the Lord, we were “sealed for the day of redemption” by the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30). He stamped it, sealed it, and that settled it.