"Slip, Sliding Away" November 10 Readings: Ezekiel 27-28, Hebrews 1–2, Psalm 119:161–168, Proverbs 27:17–18

Today's Readings - Ezekiel 27-28, Hebrews 1–2, Psalm 119:161–168, Proverbs 27:17–18

God willing, I am headed home from Africa today. Your prayers would be appreciated as I travel. 

Devotional - Slip, Sliding Away 

 I used to love body surfing, back in my Florida days. I'd go out into the Atlantic when the waves were right, dive and catch the wave at just the right time and see how far I could ride it up the beach. Out and back. Time and again. But I had to be careful. Most of the time, at the beaches I frequented, there is a side current that will cause you to drift up or down the beach. If you didn't pay attention, you could find yourself a long way from where you were supposed to be.

The writer of Hebrews (I think it might have been Apollos, though no one really knows) was concerned about something similar. He observed people who came to faith in Christ but were drifting back into legalistic Judaism. In Hebrews 2:1, he said,

Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  

As I had to pay attention to the beach not to drift away, Christians must be careful that we do not drift away from our walk of faith in Christ. I would find a point on the beach, usually a tall building, that served as my reference. I looked often to it to make sure that I wasn't being pulled up or down the beach. We must keep our eyes on Christ to make sure we do not drift.

Fortunately, our salvation is kept by Christ and is secure. I cannot lose my salvation because Christ holds it for me. But I can drift away from my walk of holiness back into the ways of the world. I can drift from a walk of faith back into living by sight, to depending on myself and my own righteousness. My passion can wane and I can drift back into the love of the world and that which is in it. I can drift from Christ's call to die to self back into a life of self-centeredness and indulgence.

Henry Blackaby said that we have a natural (sinful) tendency to drift away from God. Hebrews is written to warn us not to allow that to happen. We must continue to focus unwaveringly on Christ, walk in obedience and live in the power of the Spirit God has given us. We must daily fan the flames of passion for Christ through the Word and prayer.

Our nature is to drift, but the solution, found in Hebrews 1 and the rest of the book, is to exalt Jesus Christ. The more we exalt him in our lives, the more he is the center, the focus, the passion of our lives, the greater our resistance to our tendency to drift away.

Father, fill my heart with a zeal for Christ that my zeal for him might never wane and that I will never drift away. 

Think and Pray

Which of the readings spoke most powerfully to you today?
Is the Spirit of God moving you to repent of something you are doing, to begin something new, or to change something about your life as a result of your readings? What?

Are you being careful to maintain your zeal and passion for Christ?

Do you fix your eyes on Christ to prevent drifting?