Don’t Drift Spiritually

Related Scripture:

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”  Hebrews 2:1

Have you ever officiated in a one-sided game in less-than-ideal conditions?  If you didn’t keep your concentration level high, you might have found yourself just drifting through that contest.  Drifting while officiating does not mean you have completely checked out mentally.  It likely means the effort to be in the right position to make proper calls is lacking.  It might mean that you are not paying close attention to your primary coverage areas as you are wishing for the contest to be over.

Another cause of drifting in officiating might be complacency.  After a few years of officiating, you may think you know rules and mechanics so well and have worked so many games that you can drift on your past experiences.  With that mindset, you might be just going through the motions of covering the game.  Complacency may also mean that you are drifting in your preparations as well as in your court or field work.

As damaging as drifting while officiating is, it is more damaging to drift spiritually.  The word used for “drift away” in Hebrews 2:1 was the word the Greeks used to describe a boat that was not moored to a dock and was floating with the current.  The writer of the Book of Hebrews told his readers not to drift spiritually, and he told them how that was accomplished.  The Greek word translated “pay attention to what you have heard” indicates a high level of intentionality rather than casual listening.  We can read the Bible or listen to sermons and lessons casually - without really paying close attention.  Not everything that vibrates our eardrums stays in our brains.  SO - paying close attention to God’s word means that we read and listen carefully, and then we put those messages into our daily lives.

Regardless of our ages or the length of time we have been a Christian, we need to continue to grow spiritually.  There is an important truth here:  You can’t drift into spiritual maturity.  Spiritual growth involves putting in the effort to learn how to stay close to Jesus.  That involves allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us in our spiritual growth. When we are growing spiritually, we will grow to be more like Jesus each day.  That way we will remain close to Him, and we won’t drift away.  The Apostle Paul taught the Ephesian believers that the goal for spiritual growth is to grow to be more like Jesus [Ephesians 4:12-16].  Therefore, we need to gain more knowledge about Jesus from God’s word, because He is our model for daily living.  When we are growing to be like Jesus, we won’t drift in the currents of things that pull us away from His teachings.

Questions to Ponder:

Are you putting in the effort to grow spiritually, or have you been drifting lately?

Are you secured to Christ, so you won’t drift by paying close attention to His teachings and obeying them?

Ralph Swearngin - Former GHSA Executive Director & Current FCO Advisory Committee Member