We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard,
so that we do not drift away.”
Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)
Sitting at the beach, I watched my grandnieces ride the waves. Wade out. Ride in. Wade out. Ride in. The water came in to the shore at a wind-driven angle, so each time, the waves carried the girls just a little to the left. Then a little more. Then a little more.
I watched as the ocean spilled them further down the beach with each ride. They were oblivious to the potential danger of drifting away from the safety of where they began, but finally I walked down shore and waved them back to where our family was.
Like the girls’ subtle, slow drifting, we can be happily riding the waves of everyday life when one unwise decision spills us back onto the shore a little left of where we started. Then the next poor decision takes us a little left of that one …
Before we know it, the tide has taken us far from the safety of where we were once planted in God’s Truth, and we struggle to find our way back.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us about this: “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
The Greek word for “pay the most careful attention” is prosechein, which also means "to give heed, to be cautious, to devote oneself." We’re called to pay attention because the progression of one small temptation can lead to one wrong decision, and then another wave can lead to another wrong decision, which takes us further away from the intimacy we crave with Jesus.
For instance, if I don’t pay attention to what I’m watching on TV, I’m more likely to view something slightly offensive. Then I might watch something more offensive next time, and if I keep drifting, it becomes difficult to imagine Jesus watching beside me on the sofa.
Sometimes we ride so many waves that Jesus seems distant or far from view. But here are two words that bring us back from the drift: repent and return.
To repent means to have genuine remorse, turn away from sin, and go back to God. When we repent, God forgives: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And “all” means all.
Oh, friend, I want you to envision Jesus standing on the shore of where you are right now. He’s waving for you to come back to His safety - just as surely as He waved Peter to the shore even after he denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62; John 21:1-25). Christ is always waiting to lead us back to intimacy with Him, no matter how far we’ve drifted.
I watched as the ocean spilled them further down the beach with each ride. They were oblivious to the potential danger of drifting away from the safety of where they began, but finally I walked down shore and waved them back to where our family was.
Like the girls’ subtle, slow drifting, we can be happily riding the waves of everyday life when one unwise decision spills us back onto the shore a little left of where we started. Then the next poor decision takes us a little left of that one …
Before we know it, the tide has taken us far from the safety of where we were once planted in God’s Truth, and we struggle to find our way back.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us about this: “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
The Greek word for “pay the most careful attention” is prosechein, which also means "to give heed, to be cautious, to devote oneself." We’re called to pay attention because the progression of one small temptation can lead to one wrong decision, and then another wave can lead to another wrong decision, which takes us further away from the intimacy we crave with Jesus.
For instance, if I don’t pay attention to what I’m watching on TV, I’m more likely to view something slightly offensive. Then I might watch something more offensive next time, and if I keep drifting, it becomes difficult to imagine Jesus watching beside me on the sofa.
Sometimes we ride so many waves that Jesus seems distant or far from view. But here are two words that bring us back from the drift: repent and return.
To repent means to have genuine remorse, turn away from sin, and go back to God. When we repent, God forgives: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And “all” means all.
Oh, friend, I want you to envision Jesus standing on the shore of where you are right now. He’s waving for you to come back to His safety - just as surely as He waved Peter to the shore even after he denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62; John 21:1-25). Christ is always waiting to lead us back to intimacy with Him, no matter how far we’ve drifted.
Heavenly Father, help me recognize when my decisions could cause me to drift in my relationship with You. Thank You for standing on the shore and always welcoming me home when I repent and return. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Sharon Jaynes
(Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries")