Pay Attention or Drift

Hebrews 2:1 – Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

What do you do to stay strong in the faith? Several spiritual disciplines should come to mind. We read the Bible, pray, take part in gathered worship, memorize Scripture, study, read good books, fellowship, participate in Lord’s Supper, share the gospel, etc.

Think over the spiritual disciplines and consider just how many of them are summarized in the verse above. Pay attention, much closer attention, to what you have been taught in the word of God. As the author of the letter to the Hebrews warns his readers of a danger they face, we should be on notice. If we do not pay attention, close attention, even closer attention than we have done so far, we may be at risk of drifting away. In Hebrews, the danger was the drift away from true Christianity and back to forms of temple Judaism. For us, the danger is a drift into worldliness, sinfulness, compromise, and other such folly.

I’ll not try to make this clever, just honest. Failing to focus on the word of God leads to drifting away. Failing to gather with other Christians to sit under the word of God preached leads to drifting away. Failing to let the word you study go to your heart leads to drifting away. Reasoning first from your own logic instead of from the word of God and sound doctrine leads to drifting away.

Drifting is easy. Paying much closer attention is hard. But there is great joy and true reward in clinging to God’s word and doing what God says.

Thank God for the call in the verse above to pay much closer attention to what we have heard in his word. That call reminds me that, when I have drifted, or when I have begun to start the process of drifting, the Lord calls me back. The Lord welcomes his children’s repentance. The Lord is eager to renew our focus on and love for him and his word.