Yes, he loved his people, all his holy ones were in his hand…

Deuteronomy 33:3 ESV

His holy ones are in His hands. Holy is set apart. When we give our lives to Christ, we’re to give our whole life over to Christ. We’re to be separated from the world and sepatated to God. We need to be holy, wholly His, to be a holy one, wholly in His hand.

We want to be in His hand because that is our safety, our security. No one can pluck us from His hand.

We spend our lives being given over more and more to Christ, conforming to His image from glory to glory, but the heart intent is there from the beginning that you’ve given yourself up and taken on His life and identity. I tend to think the definition of a Christian is: I am crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

Be careful in your gospel presentation to not give a “your best life now” version of Christianity. We’re called to take up our cross and die to self.

Consider the parable we read today of the plant that produced no fruit. We’ve read that a plant that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. We’ve also read the parable of the soils. The majority of the soils grow plants that produced no fruit. They were set on self, not God.