Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
This verse is really important for the follower of Jesus on earth today. I love its reminder and its caution. I think we can gather, very clearly, the remedy for this happening in our lives. It says we need to pay attention. We need to be careful to listen to the truth so that we don't drift.
The caution, of course, is for those who have heard and known and experienced the gospel, the message of hope that comes through the person and work of Jesus. If we don't pay attention to that truth as we're going through life, we can find ourselves beginning to do what it says here—drift away from it.
Realizing You’re Not Where You Started
Think about being on a boat in a lake. You might be on completely still waters, but just by the nature of how the boat and the water work, if there is the slightest of breezes, the boat will drift if not anchored.
That’s such an interesting phenomenon. There have been times where it feels so still and like nothing in life is moving. Then, when you look up and you see where you are in reference to where you started out in that boat, you then realize you’re not where you began, you have drifted from where you started.
The caution in this verse is so important because right before it's written, there's a whole list of things that talk about the beauty of who Jesus is and what it's like to know Him. If we don't pay attention and if we're not careful, just like that boat sitting on the lake, we start to drift.
The Remedy: An Anchor
Now, here's where that remedy comes in that I was telling you about, even though it doesn't explicitly say it in these words. We know that the antidote to the drift is an anchor. When you put an anchor down, it keeps the boat from getting too far away from where it's supposed to be. That's exactly what we need in our own lives.
Do you know what's so interesting? This same book of the Bible provides for us a very clear picture of this. It's actually in chapter 6, and you'll get kind of toward the end there. It says that Jesus is the anchor for our souls.
Remind Yourself of the Gospel Truth
What that means for us practically, is that we, as we pay attention to the life of Jesus—who He was here on earth, what it means to know Him, how that changes and influences the way that we live—this is what keeps us from drifting. Remembering that our hope is founded in Christ. This provides the anchor for our souls.
I know that there are times in our human lives where if we get busy, things start happening and swirling around us. Maybe we're going through a time where it's really difficult. We might be feeling a little disillusioned or frustrated, or maybe we feel even like God is not responding or listening to our prayers.
It's in those moments, if we're not careful, we can begin to drift. This verse reminds us that we need to continually tell ourselves the truth about the gospel. We need to anchor our souls in Christ. When we anchor ourselves in Him, we internally and in our lives fight against the drift that's potentially present in our walk with Christ.
