CrossPoint Community News 06/24/2022

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

       In Hebrews 3, the author (Paul? Apollos?) writes: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:12-13). Why does he warn about being hardened? The sad truth is that it is possible to obtain a hardened heart, which leads us to fall away from the living God.
       The author explains in Heb. 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” The trouble begins when we get distracted. Distractions from God abound. We are encouraged to consume, to binge, to experience things apart from God. So our focus shifts. We become less diligent about what we watch or take in through our ears. And we drift.
       The slow drift we experience is like playing in the ocean. When we are focused on one point on the shore it is easy to notice that we are being pulled by the currents away. So, with our eyes fixed on where our towels and cooler are on the beach, we work against the current and make regular adjustments. But when we get distracted and play, or just enjoy riding the waves, it is easy to drift, even when we aren’t deeper than our waist. Without noticing it, we begin to drift. The same is experienced in our relationship with God. Without maintaining a focus on Him we begin to drift, because we are wading in the waters of our culture which pulls us away. Soon, without realizing it, we develop an evil, unbelieving heart and we fall away from the living God.
       The problem with becoming hardened is that it is a slow process. It doesn’t happen like quick-drying super glue. It is more like clay. Once it is formed, it is set aside for a day, or days, to dry and become hardened, so that it can be glazed and fired in the kiln. We don’t even notice it. But when our focus shifts, so do our priorities. Then we lose passion. With a loss of passion for God, we give up on discipline in following God, and soon, we have lost commitment to the only One who is life.
       To avoid the slow drift, take time today to re-focus on God. Pray. Read God’s Word. Connect with your Creator and Lord. Confess ways that you have drifted. Take time to check in with a brother or sister in Christ and see how their doing. Exhort one another every day. Ask God to reveal where your heart is. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
       May God have mercy, and please continue to pray for Ukraine. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.