Drifting naturally happens without an anchor to something solid. If we are not securely set in the superiority of Jesus, we will drift with the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
David Guzik
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
Hebrews 2:1
Drift is inevitable. Life is not stationary. It is constantly moving. No matter how badly we want things to stay the same they are always changing. Even the mailbox post changes over time. Iron posts rust. Painted posts fade. Wood posts begin to rot. The post that sticks out of the ground to hold up your mailbox may never be changed out, but you can count on the fact that it’s constantly changing.
While there are things in life that must change over time, there are things that must never change. We have to fight against drift and decay to keep them where they need to be. It is tempting to ride the current and “go with the flow.” We often don’t realize how much ground we’ve given up when we drift.
The author of Hebrews challenges all who will read chapter two that we must not drift! Drift from where? Drift from the things we have heard. We must guard our doctrine, our understanding of God as has been delivered to us by the apostles in the scripture. We must hold these doctrines not as mere words on paper or formalities, but as truths to be believed to the core of our being.
The truths we believe will determine how we live. If you want to weaken someone’s faith, weaken their doctrine. Isn’t this the easily discernable tactic of the devil, to second guess God? Isn’t this what he said to Adam and Eve, “Did God really say?” And in doing so introduced a lesser view of God into their minds. They began to think of God as petty, they thought of him as smaller than he was, they supposed he had ulterior motives, and they imagined God was more like them than He was.
It’s always the holiness of God that is diminished when we drift. We begin to imagine God in our image rather than appreciating that we were made in His. We must fight this tendency to drift by holding on to the truths given to us by the Apostles.
Father, Your word is true and good. Keep me from drifting. Help me to see areas of my life where I am tempted to be laid back and unfocused. Help me to be discerning in my doctrine and focused on your word. I am so grateful for your word and the grace I find in knowing Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Revival, above everything else, is a glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is the restoration of him to the centre of the life of the Church.
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4 (also Read Psalm 80)
We have a few trees and plants in our yard that have run wild. When we moved in we didn’t know anything about them nor about how to care for them. They have had a few years to run in their own direction. They were a mess with branches running every which way, bugs, and blight. Our trees and plants needed some sort of revival. Leaving them to themselves didn’t provide an abundant carefree existence. It caused them to become eye sores, sickly, and overgrown. The sort of revival these trees/plants needed wouldn’t happen unless someone stepped in to care for them.
A few years ago I did a little research on our trees/ plants, bought a few sharp instruments for cutting, and watched a few pruning masters at work. I stepped in and applied my newfound skills on our trees and soon enough they all came roaring back to life in all the right places. (It was interesting to note that at first it looked like I had killed the trees because they were in such a drastic need of pruning, but later in the spring/ summer they all came to full blossom/fruit!)
In the same way, the nation of Israel needed revival. It had run too long in its own direction! They need the Lord to step in if they were to ever flourish again. In Psalm 80, Asaph calls out to God to send a man who will be that instrument of flourishing. One whom God will use to revive dying people and bring them back to a place of brilliance and worship.
We know that the Son of Man (Psalm 80:17) is Jesus! He is the only one who can bring flourishing back to floundering souls. He is the only one who can restore the hope of a broken-down nation. He is the only one who can cause hope to shine in the darkest of nights. He reminded us that He is the Vine and we are the branched, apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:4)!
Have you run too long in your own direction? Find yourself in need of revival? Come to Jesus today and ask him for revival in your life! Invite him to prune the things that distract you from following Him (Hebrews 12:1), immerse yourself in His word (Psalm 1:2-3), and draw near to God (James 4:8). Go back and do the things you did when you first fell in love with Jesus (Revelation 2:5).
Father, Your word is true and good. How simple and profound is this word today. All my living comes from you, apart from you I can do nothing. When left to my own will I’ll run all over the place but won’t produce fruit. I know I need to remain in you and your word in me so that I might reach my full potential. You have free reign in my life today. Please remove the things in my life that keep me from knowing and loving you. Help me to grow in my relationship with you and be nourished in you today. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The Hill House 