Anchor

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 

Hebrews 2:1-4

     Drift. Neglect. These are not very dangerous-sounding words. There is no violence in them, nothing to that would spur us to the same frantic efforts as would the idea of an alarm signaling an imminent assault, nor do they inspire us to leap into action as urgently as we would for the deliverance of friends or family from a looming menace. Neither do these words reflect a purposeful action as in a rejection or a repelling.  I wonder, however, if the very passivity of the words should not cause us to act as swiftly and decisively as would a more obvious peril.  For I guarantee you that our enemy is just as thrilled with our lull of complacency over the inactivity of drifting away as he is over the more direct and purposeful sins we can commit. Perhaps more so, for he hopes that if he can keep us diverted long enough, we will drift right away from the Father and become lost in his vast, murky kingdom of lies. In cases of drifting or neglect, the method of arrival may be more meandering than in the case of deliberate rebellion, but the destination is equally grim.

     In our culture today, is it not easy to drift? Is it not the simplest matter in the world to "go with the flow," to drift peacefully and effortlessly, allowing the social current to sweep us along? Simple, yes, but ask any ship's captain and you will find that being adrift is neither an ideal nor a useful situation. In a lazy hour with a pleasant sun, drifting may seem almost luxurious. Once a storm rolls in and the waves churn madly, however, to be caught adrift with no certainty of location nor navigational plan will quickly turn a peaceful and gentle rest into a frantic scramble for one's very life. With no clear heading, the aimlessly floating ship is now found lost, off course, but where? Now the ship requires saving, someone from the outside to help the crew gain their bearings. Even then, it will require a mighty force of effort and labor to bring the ship right again.

     Neglect, too, is a passive word. A person does not have to do much--in fact, does not have to do anything--in order to neglect. It is a shirking of duty, inattention to what needs to be done. The effects of neglect, like that of drifting, are not immediate. By neglect, a plant will slowly wither and die, a garden become overrun by weeds, a house rot and collapse, a child starve and pine away, and a sick man fade away to death. Neglect is a silent killer; a slow menace that withholds rather than assaults. It is often done, not intentionally, but but by a mere lapse of attention.

    In these two words, passivity and inattention combine to bring disastrous results. I know from my own experience how easy it is by a momentary forgetfulness, to form a habit of such quiet yet certain death. I do not set out to reject God nor to neglect His Word.  I may even read it daily, but negligently, scanning the beautiful words of life while my mind is shamefully occupied by my task list or by desire of some temporal pleasure. How easy it is to drift away from the Truth, embracing some area or another of wrong thinking because it is commonly viewed as correct; forgetting that my anchor must be firmly established in the Word of God so that the tug of the chain will remind me when I am in danger of being drawn away from His port.

     Oh, Lord, it is my sincere prayer that You will keep me from drifting. Send Your Holy Spirit as my guide and keep me from being lulled into complacency in my spiritual journey with You. Keep me attentive, focused on Your will and desiring You above all else. May I not become passive or inactive, but zealously embracing Your truths and rejecting the subtle lies of the enemy.  Keep me spiritually awake and alert, teach me to take sin seriously and to repent fully, and keep me humble that I may recognize the whisper of Your Spirit in the conviction of sin and of righteousness. Grant me willingness to be hard-working, willing to exert myself on the narrow path and resist the pull of the current seeking to draw me onto the broad path to destruction. 
     
     May it be not only me that Your Spirit revives in this way, Father, but awaken all of Your people to this quiet danger. Revive us in Your word, wake us up, and teach us to pay closer attention to what we have heard from You. Let us not neglect the incredible salvation You offer us in Christ! Give us the strength, the awareness, and the spiritual discernment we need to navigate in the crazy, conflicting currents of this world. We ask this in Jesus' name and for the sake of Your kingdom, amen.