"How did I get here? Where am I?"
"How did I get here? Where am I?"
The gentle breeze had died down completely hours before. And although an experienced sailor, Gerald found the warm sun and gentle rock of his boat luring him into a nap. A catnap seemed too tempting an opportunity to pass up. Having been startled awake by the roll of a larger wave, he shot up and glanced at his watch. A nap had turned into a sleep. Two hours, how could it be? Had he known he'd be rocked into such a slumber he would have set anchor first. He looked up from his watch and scanned the horizon. Where was the shoreline? He turned toward the controls instantly regretting not getting his failing navigation systems repaired the week before. What was intended to be a leisurely afternoon was appearing to become something quite different. Gerald hadn't accounted for just how tired he was, just how comfortable he became, and just how strong the current just under him was.
As we learned this past Sunday, the author of Hebrews delivered their Spirit-inspired message with two main purposes in mind: 1) to invite people to compare Jesus, and 2) to relay 5 important warnings.
- Spiritual Drifting (2.1-4)
- Allowing your heart to harden toward God (3.7-4.13)
- Spiritual Indifference (6.4-8)
- Deliberate Sin (10.32-36)
- Refusing Jesus (12.25-29)
It's likely you and I know people who have in some way or another had their faith in Christ shipwrecked. It's likely that none of them set out on a journey that they knew would lead to them eventually turning from Jesus. One rarely moves quickly toward refusing Jesus.
It starts with a subtle drift.
I have observed four things that can indicate the beginning of a spiritual drift that leads people away from Jesus:
- Beginning to think less of what God says. In other words, reading the Bible less.
- Beginning to reach out to God, less. In other words, praying less.
- Beginning to underestimate the critical importance of gathering for worship and teaching. In other words, consider Sunday services more miss-able or more optional than you did before.
- Beginning to widen your 'first-phone-call-friends' circle to include those who don't value Jesus and faith life in Him. In other words, looking for the most important levels of affirmation and advice from friends who don't love Jesus instead of those who do love Jesus.
It's worth a sober evaluation of our own lives.
It's worth checking in with our children or grandchildren and taking an interest in who makes up their closest circle of friends.
As the author of Hebrews says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" (12.2), for "we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (6.19).
Pastor Mike