Earlier this summer the
media reported a scary story about a boy’s bad day at the beach. The CNN
article recounted the incident, “A day at the beach turned into a frightening
rescue for one 8-year-old boy after the giant unicorn-shaped raft he was
playing on suddenly drifted out to sea. Declan O'Connor found himself holding
on for life in the surf off Oak Island, North Carolina, as high winds swept him
further into the Atlantic Ocean. The unicorn’s head and horn served as a
stand-in sail. Luckily for the boy, a team of rescuers were quickly on scene
and retrieved him. A local rescue chief credited the boy's decision to stick
with the unicorn —a wise move, or else he might've drowned.”[1]
When I read that story, I thought
about how the Bible warns against the danger of drifting in our spiritual lives.
The writer of Hebrews cautioned, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention
to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Heb. 2:1). There is no
better example of this principle than the nephew of Abraham, Lot. When you
study the life of Abraham you get the sense that Lot was really riding off the
spiritual coattails of his uncle.
Lot may have believed in
God, but he did not have a committed walk with God like faithful Abe. When the
time came for them to part ways we read that Lot made a critical choice, “Lot
lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere
like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt . . .Lot pitched his tent
in the direction of Sodom” (Gen. 13:10-12). Lot made the mistake of moving
closer to Sin City, which would eventually unravel his whole life.
From there on, Lot’s sordid
slide only increased in speed. He ended up living in Sodom and even becoming a
member of city hall (Gen. 19:1). When Sodom was slated for divine destruction,
Abraham pleaded with God to spare Lot and his family. Graciously, God rescued
Lot, but as the fire fell all his possessions were burned up in the inferno and
his worldly wife was turned into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:23-26). Lot lost everything,
but it all began when he started the dangerous downhill drift away from God.
As I thought about Lot’s fall,
I discovered these truths about spiritual drift. First, it happens gradually.
You stop praying and reading the Bible. Then you miss one church service.
Before you know it, you’re gone a month, two months, a year and you don’t
really miss God’s people or His Word. Second, drifting happens carelessly. We
don’t naturally gravitate toward holiness. Our default setting is bent towards
sin and gratifying the flesh. Drifting is easy when you don’t have your heels
dug in and you’re resisting its under-toe. Watch out for times of prosperity,
they have a tendency to lull us into spiritual slumber. Third, drifting happens
intellectually. What I mean is that we start making metal excuses and compromises
with sin. “I’m so busy, I don’t have time to pray.” “I know he isn’t a Christian,
but if I date him, I can change him.” “I can have this one drink, after all
Jesus turned the water into wine.”
The good news is, if you
find yourself drifting, you can repent and return to the Lord before you find
yourself in a bad place. Zechariah 1:3, “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus declares
the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return
to you.” -DM
[1]
Scottie Andrew, “A Boy on a Unicorn Float Drifted Half a Mile out to Sea in
North Carolina,” CNN, 11 June 2019 <https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/us/unicorn-float-rescue-trnd/index.html>
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