How to avoid the real possibility of drifting away from Jesus
By Dean Collins
It happens most often when I am traveling (whether by foot, car, or plane) that my thoughts drift to ideas, memories, and possibilities. We need moments where we are free to let our minds relax from the pressures of daily life and work. It’s good to take breaks, relax, rest, and recover. It’s not good to allow activity to become so consuming that we forget why we are doing what we are doing. Over time we might find that we have drifted from our original intent.
It can happen
Because we are followers of Jesus, everything in our lives is to be rooted in Jesus. The letter of Hebrews gives us an early warning in 2:1 that if we don’t pay much closer attention to what we have learned from and about Jesus, we might drift away from him.
Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is the final Word from God. He is superior to angels. His message is better than, and the perfect summation of, any word from the prophets. He is the fullness of God. And he offers the best solution to our biggest problem of sin. He paid the price for our sins, and through him we are made whole and righteous. When we surrender to Jesus we become a part of his kingdom, and everything we do is for the purpose of extending his kingdom until he comes to restore all things.
A simple secret
The secret to not drifting away from what we have heard comes when we put into practice what we heard. We are not just to admire Jesus; we are to put on Jesus. We are made righteous before God not to be admired by anyone but rather that we might be an extension of God to those around us.
In Proverbs 11, the writer describes many things that the righteous do. It struck me today that if we keep in mind and do the works of righteousness, then it is very unlikely that we will drift away from the kingdom work we have been given by Jesus.
Here is a list of what righteousness accomplishes for the righteous (verse numbers in parentheses):
Delivers from death (4)
Keeps the blameless on a straight path (5)
Delivers them (6)
Delivers from trouble (8)
By knowledge righteous are delivered (9)
When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices (10)
By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted (11)
Sowing righteousness brings a sure reward (18)
Steadfastness in righteousness brings life (19)
Those of blameless ways are God’s delight (20)
The offspring of the righteous are delivered (21)
The desire of the righteous ends only in good (23)
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched (25)
The righteous will flourish like a green leaf (28)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (30)
Giving Jesus our daily attention begins in prayer and in staying grounded in his Word. We follow our prayers and our reading by doing the work of righteousness. When we live and serve as the hands and feet of Jesus, his kingdom will grow. And according to Proverbs, even the towns and cities where we live will see benefits.
Our righteousness was not earned and is not for show. We are to live our righteousness daily. The word of the prophet was simple: Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. When we live like that, we will not drift. We will bring blessing to others and we will be refreshed by God himself.
Your time with God’s Word
Hebrews 2:1-9; Proverbs 11:5-6, 8-11, 19, 25, 28, 30-31 ESV
Photo by Jon Tyson via unsplash.com
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