Hebrews 2:1-3 “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;”
The search for a missing boat along the Florida coastline came to a conclusion when it was discovered stranded against a rocky edge. The investigation spoke of the tragic end of its passengers. They said the boat was adrift in the sea while the small group of people slept. The combination of a lack of experience and alcohol was the cause. An experienced investigator said that had they simply put down their anchor, the boat would have stayed in its place. The drift took them away from their familiar surroundings and caused a series of events from which they would not recover.
The drift is often subtle, even muted in our daily lives. It is a movement of incremental steps; a meandering away from the central place. You might not even realize how far you are from your original port of call. Anchors, in all their spiritual forms, might seem restrictive and constraining, but they are the mechanism of the “keeping.” Without an anchor there is nothing to keep you from the drift. Without a mainstay, some rock or cornerstone, you may find yourself believing in false concepts or what Paul called, “doctrines of devils.”
It doesn’t come all at once. The drift doesn’t work that way. It begins with a small thing; some offense or hurt. Disappointment adds its part and then more serious things persist until we are fully alienated from the very thing that we loved. Hebrews 2:1 refers to it as the “slip.” The word “slip” comes from the Greek word, pararrhueo, which means to “flow by,” carelessly moving away without notice. Slipping is one excuse combined with another. Flowing away from commitment. How shall we escape in the end if we neglect the Truth that saved us? Are you closer to the Lord than when you first believed? Have you drifted from serving and sacrifice? What holds you to the church? What keeps you from accepting corrupt ideas propagated by “smart” backsliders or worldly influence? I’m looking for an Anchor: an Anchor for my soul. Storms will come Trouble will attend to this life. Nevertheless, as long as I am rooted and grounded, I will be stable and abounding in the work of the Lord. The drift is set against me. It works against my resolved. And yet, I know the Anchor holds.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole