Drifting away

These words may mean a variety of things to you - pictures of little rowing boats on a calm lake with crystal blue skies above, bright sunshine warming your skin and the sound of birds singing, lulling you to a relaxing dreamworld. Or how about that nice hot bath with the aroma of exotic flowers, bubbles overflowing the brim and steam soothing your aching bones.

Actually, that kind of drifting sounds great, but the drifting I mean is a lot less pleasant, and unfortunately tends to be of a much greater magnitude. I'm talking drifitng from grace, drifting from trusting Jesus and living with him as Lord. It seems to me that as I am a Christian for longer (and that said it's only really been 6 years or thereabouts) the more I am confronted with the disappointment of seeing people turning away from God. The reasons are many, but the pattern seems to me to be the same. One experiences some disappointment or distraction, which leads to a disillusionment with the Christian faith. One sets up for themself an idol to fill the resulting 'void' and worships it with very little satisfaction and a lot of guilt. Guilt-racked, one avoids God by avoiding his people, his word and prayer, leading to a growing void that one attempts to fill with one's idol, thereby increasing the guilt, and so the cycle goes on.

The Bible, from beginning to end warns against drifting away from God. Check out the following verses in your own time / Bibile:

Exodus 6:10 - 25 - we need to remind ourselves of God's goodness, and prompt ourselves to Love him continually.

Hebrews 3:12 - 19 - we are to uphold one another, being carfeul not to have a 'sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God.

The commands and warnings are there, becuase the threat is real. Our hearts can become cold to God, hardened to him and in our unbelief we commit the terrible sin of turning away from him. The evidence is there in life too - a brother or sister in Christ turns their back on God to pursue a relationship with an unbeliever. A business project becomes all consuming, or shifts too long and we end up too tired to go to church and too busy to go to home group. Dissatisfaction with ourselves and a poor understanding of grace lead to dangerous, life robbing addictions that prevent us being the mothers / brothers / children we ought to be.

I plead with you if you are reading this and a chord has been stuck...turn back now. It will only get harder as the idolatry grows, the sin entangles, your heart hardens and you just stop caring about Jesus. Choose Christ who is able to save you for eternity, who loves you and longs to welcome you back, and who lives in you by his Holy Spirit, who blesses, comforts and guides you in God's will. In the words of Jim Elliott "He is no fool that gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose"...I wholeheartedly agree!

Rachel