Drift

I have been reading and studying my way through the book of Hebrews, and there have been a number of verses and phrases that have caught my attention. Over the next few weeks you will be seeing some of those phrases and thoughts that are running through my head. (Sorry).
Here is the first phrase that I have been pondering, “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it” Hebrews 2:1 NLT. The progression of this phrase is really what caught my attention. Did you notice it? The first part is to listen closely. Actually “we must listen very carefully.” I feel like this is a lost skill. I don’t know about you, but I have found myself speaking far less than I used to. For two reasons: one, I don’t have as much to say and two, I don’t often feel like people want to listen to what I have to say. I don’t mean that I feel sorry for myself because no one wants to listen. I mean people are either too busy or already have made up their minds so they don’t feel they need to listen. I find myself spending far more time just listening to the Bible and listening for the voice of God; both have been good practices.
The second part of the progression is that careful listening stops me from “drifting” away from the truth. I love the word used here, “drift.” The idea is a slow slide away. That is exactly what happens to us. If we are not in the Word regularly and listening to God, the life of the world slowly pulls us away and the next thing we know the truth no longer has a life-changing effect on us. The truth no longer has the ability to keep me on track.
The question I have been asking myself over the past week is, have I been listening carefully enough to the truth that drift cannot start to happen? I think that is a great question for each of us to ask ourselves regularly.

-Pastor Tim