Don’t drift away

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1

Before I dove into the devotionals that snowy morning, this verse from Hebrews came up within me, along with a portion of verse 3 from the same chapter: “…how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”

I understand by experience that drifting can be dangerous; I’ve been on enough float trips on Missouri streams to know that if I don’t use my paddle skillfully and watchfully, the canoe drifts wherever the river takes it. Drifting is especially hazardous during high waters following the spring rains; trust me—been there, done that. Sure, it can be relaxing and more “chill” to settle back and just let the river do its thing, but on more than one occasion, simply drifting along has resulted in getting caught in the rooty snags of fallen trees, capsizing the canoe, and losing coolers, eyeglasses, car keys, or wallets!

You can always get a new pair of glasses or set of keys; wallets and their contents can be replaced; and usually you can fish your cooler out somewhere downstream.

But Hebrews speaks of a different kind of drifting. Hebrews speaks of drifting nonchalantly away from your connection to the Lord. This sort of drifting is the effortless floating away from the things you’ve learned in your relationship with Jesus. This type of drifting occurs with ease when you neglect what you’ve heard, seen, and received in the Lord.

And this kind of drifting can get you into trouble. Snags, snares, and snafus await drifters at every bend, ready to snatch oblivious floaters. Quite honestly, the Word is clear: such neglect of your connection with Jesus has consequences (see Hebrews 2:2).

Then I read Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest entry for that day, and he wrote, “Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life?” (See http://utmost.org/have-you-felt-the-pain-inflicted-by-the-lord/.)

Oh great, I thought, let’s read about pain. But when God fingers issues in your life, it is the sign of His tender love for you, not disdain or disgust. Hebrews 12:6 states, “For who the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (NKJV). And verse 11 addresses the pain of correction: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (emphasis added).

In fact, the writer of Hebrews also insisted that if you never experience the uncomfortable touch of discipline or correction in your walk with Jesus, then you are illegitimate—you’ve never been born of God (see Hebrews 12:8).

As much as most of us don’t enjoy owning up to our flubs, flaws, or failures, nevertheless, the way of discipleship, the way of growth, and the way to yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in your life involves just that—owning up to your flubs, flaws, and failures as you become aware of them.

So what was the Lord correcting me about? I had grown lax in giving Him first place in my day. I had allowed gadgets and media to consume my time before I gave Him a chance to speak, and as a result, I was actively laying a foundation of distraction to start my day. Betcha I’m not the only one dealing with this issue!

When you give God the right to correct you, you submit to Him. And as you do so, He can build upon that foundation, brick by brick, the scaffolding and structure of your life, and then He can direct the flow of the river within you to accomplish great things through you.

Yield to the training of His discipline; it will produce in you the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Dorothy

Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you. Psalm 32:9