By Cindy Sue Baker 
“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.  Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2). 
The sun shone brightly in the tropical blue sky.  The day was a hot one, with humidity hanging heavily in the air.  A young boy of about 10 years old stepped close to the base of the coconut tree.  Its palm-like branches which were painted bright green against the sky, were barely moving as there was little wind.  The boy gazed above him at the ripened coconuts hanging from the top of the tree.  50 feet was a long way up.  Sweat glistened on his forehead and he wiped the moisture from the palms of his hands on his ragged red shorts.  He flashed an impish grin to his two friends who were standing near him at the base of the tree.  Then, with a look of determination, the boy grabbed hold of the tree with his hands, placing his wiry legs on either side of its long trunk.  With his eyes set on the brown coconuts high above, he began scaling the tree, gripping tightly with his hands as his legs and feet propelled him upward.  Down below, more laughing, brown-skinned children gathered to watch his progress and shout encouragement.   
Soon his mother joined the group.  She, like many other Ni-Vanuatu mothers, had sent her young son to knock down some coconuts from the tree.  The hard, white meat inside the shell would be scraped out, mixed with water, and squeezed by hand to produce rich coconut milk that would be used in cooking many of their local dishes.   
As she watched her son scale the tree the mother was glad that he was finally old enough to help in gathering the provisions needed for daily life in the bush.  At the same time, she was well aware of the danger that came with climbing a coconut tree.  She began to join in the hollering, but her message was different, more urgent.  “Watch out!” she called, “Hold on tight”! 
The process of knocking down coconuts from a tree is just a regular part of life for South Pacific islanders.   Why then, would this mother take the time to admonish her young son to “Watch out” and “Hold on tight”?  Did he not see the danger of loosening his grip on the trunk of the tree?  Was she trying to make his chore more difficult or distract him from the childlike fun of climbing a tree?   
The reasoning is very simple.  This mother loved her son and was concerned for his safety.  The danger of the task was evident and she gave him a warning in order to keep him as safe as possible for the work ahead.   
We see a similar scenario when we read the Bible.  Look at these passages, just three of many found in the New Testament, where God is giving us a warning to “Watch out!” and “Hold on tight!” to the teachings within His Word.   
Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).   
Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13NKJV). 
“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position” (2 Peter 3:17). 
Why does God do this?  Is He wanting to make our Christian walk more difficult or to distract us as we try to live by the Spirit?  Of course not.  Like the mother for her son, God has a deep love for us, as His children.  He gives us these warnings to keep our souls safe.   
Deuteronomy 5:32 shows us that even in Old Testament times God placed great importance on His people’s obedience to His Word. “So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.”  Yes, those days have passed and with them the old covenant.  However, God’s desire to see His people holding tight to His Word has never changed.   
The Bible is more than just a few words of wisdom jotted down by ancient men for us “modern” Christians to obey or not obey at our own discretion.  The teachings within the New Testament may be “of old”, but they are not out-dated or irrelevant to life today.   
Holding tight to them will ensure that we will not allow ourselves to be carried away by teachings that sound spiritual, but are not Biblical.  The doctrines of the New Testament are like the trunk of the coconut tree, the lifeline that keeps our souls safe.  To allow our grip to slip in order to accept teachings that are not found in New Testament Scripture or to let go all together puts our lives, our very souls, in danger.   
We are like that young boy, climbing the coconut tree of life, gripping tightly to God’s Word as we walk by the Spirit.  God is there too, cautioning us with much the same loving urgency as the mother in the story before.  He is pleading with us to “Watch out!” and “Hold on tight” to His Word.    
As 2 John 8 says, “Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.”  We must hold on tight to the Word of God for the safety of our souls.