lest we drift away

what tragedy plays in unending acts
as soul after soul wanders the stage
having forgotten their lines, and changing their names
to Neglect and Indifference, they sit to laze,
oblivious to their paralysis, ignorant to their role,
and the World slips a sly grin in the audience,
satisfied with its directorial success
as again and again, the actors digress.


"Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will."
- hebrews 2:1-4


of this message, i have heard. at first, i did not listen. rather, i covered my ears and cried of the miseries of my sin and how i had no greater certainty than that i was far too stained and destroyed and ugly for a diety like Him to even glance in my direction. and so i sunk there, my knees pressed into the mud, forever feeling filthy.

but the truth of the message does not waver based on our emotions. this is the definition of truth. and in realizing this, i at last listened to that truth: that the wretched, dirty sinner that i was, slouched against a dumpster mourning my wounds, was precisely who God sent His Son to redeem. yes, i have sinned (and incredibly so), and yes, i am completely unworthy of His forgiveness and mercy. i deserve eternal punishment. but this beautiful gift called Grace, God poured out upon all of us in the death and resurrection of the sinless Jesus Christ, Who bore the punishment for our sins on the cross so that we might enter freely and blameless through the gates of Heaven.

in the realization and acceptance of this truth, one has a renewed identity in Christ, and with that, an undeniable purpose for Christ. yet how easy it is, even years after our initial acceptance of His saving grace, we can let outselves drift so far from this purpose that even our regard of its existence is hardly a memory. yes, we have heard of Christ. yes, we say we believe in Christ.

but do we live for Christ?

the tragedy is that for many of us, the answer to that question is no. and from a worldly perspective, it's easy to see why. for what worldly benefit is there in basing your life on something so seemingly intangible when there are so many distractions tempting your fingertips to latch on? but what eternal loss do we face if we neglect His truth in favor of a more immediate (albeit fleeting) "fulfillment" here on earth? "how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?"

this Truth is indelible. it cannot be eliminated or changed by human imaginations. and it cannot be forgotten, or we shall drift ever farther away from the embrace of His shore in our pursuit of purpose elsewhere. we will never find purpose on that open sea if we do not "pay much closer attention to what we have heard."

"set your mind's attention and your heart's affection on the glory of Christ so that you will be changed from glory to glory into His image, so that you might fully enjoy what you were made for--making much of Christ." - john piper