“Hold What You Got”

No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.Luke 9:62)

These illuminating words of the Savior are some of my favorites in the New Testament. They reinforce the concept of steadiness and purpose which is a fundamental aspect of successfully coming to Christ. This verse might be rephrased thusly:

Once you have the Gospel, your covenants, your obligations, and then turning from them or neglecting them (allowing yourself to be distracted w/ the things of the world) you are not sufficiently prepared to enter God's kingdom as a citizen with the saints.

When I was a Survival Instructor with the Air Force we used the phrase "hold what you got" to indicate to students that their body position for water entry was correct before dropping them off of the apparatus into the water (simulating a parachute landing). Many students followed instructions precisely and were rewarded with a nice water entry. The few who neglected to "hold what they had" (as it were) received no such reward and in several cases were injured by their lack of attention to maintaining the required position.

We who have covenants with Jesus are gently commanded to "hold what we got" in the waters of baptism or by virtue of Priesthood ordination or covenant making in holy temples. Jesus Christ wants so much for us to succeed He perpetually persuades us to be

Steadfast (Mosiah 5:15)

"Immovable" (Alma 1:25)

"Endure to the End" (2 Nephi 9:24)

Each of these adjectives (and so many more) invites us to "hold what we've got". May we ever do so that when our lives work is done and we are at the judgment bar of Christ we will be deemed "fit" for His kingdom.

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