“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1
There’s no such thing as being at a standstill spiritually. We’re either making progress in our relationship with Jesus or we’re drifting away. As Christians, we don’t suddenly wake up with deliberate sin in our lives. It happens gradually. So, what are the signs of drifting and how do we guard against it?
Drifting almost always starts with carelessness. We stop paying close attention to scriptural truth and how it applies to daily life. We might think we know enough about the Bible that reading it every day isn’t necessary. Or, we get satisfied with where we are in the Christian life. The danger of trying to coast spiritually is that we start to drift away from truth. If we don’t continually set our minds on God’s Word, we eventually default to our old nature.
Drifting is nurtured by a desire for ease, which leads to compromise. That’s what happened to the Jewish believers in the book of Hebrews. They heard the gospel and believed Jesus was the promised Messiah. But now, under the pressure of persecution, they wanted to retreat to their former way of life. They got distracted by listening to false teachers and by looking backwards.
We often do something similar. Sure, small concessions in our biblical beliefs and convictions make things easier with lost friends and family members. But one compromise usually leads to another and we start drifting away. So we rationalize by comparing ourselves to others rather than conforming to Christ. We think we’re okay as long as someone else is drifting further out than we are. All the while, we’re getting further from shore.
That’s why the writer of Hebrews cautions us not to neglect our salvation (v3). In other words, we need to maintain our focus and spiritual fitness. A burning desire to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37) guards us from drifting away. Picture a rowing crew—they don’t drift into victory but cross the finish line having given their all.
Are you progressing with the Lord, or are you adrift? Have you gotten careless regarding your time in Scripture or in prayer? How might you be compromising biblical truth? Be careful! You’re drifting into dangerous waters. If you disregard today’s warning you’ll drift away from truth and into sin. Why not get back on course today?