DON’T DRIFT AWAY
Proverbs 19:27 NKJ
27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
I want to get lost in your rock and roll and drift away are words to a song but not a good way to live. Our proverb for today gives some simple instruction as to how to stay on track with your life with the Lord and not drift away.
The first step toward drifting away from our commitment to the Lord is to stop listening. And not just any listening. Listening to words of instruction. The word instruction is also translated as discipline and correction. And the book of Proverbs is not very gentle with those who do not listen. Those who listen to instruction are counted as wise and those who have no regard for instruction are called foolish. We know this from the experience of parenting or mentoring. Many parents have shared words of correction, and instruction with their children only to have them do the exact opposite. Mentors have given instructions that could have saved untold money and misery, only to have their pupils ignore the wisdom and then crash and burn. We all know that experience is a great teacher, but has no mercy, and some of the lessons are hard. This is why it’s best to learn from the experience of another.
The spiritual danger of when someone stops listening to instruction is that this starts the drifting process. The drift may not happen overnight, but it’s coming. Many times, over the years, I have encountered people who used to come to church. Often, when we speak, they volunteer that they are no longer in church and need to get back. Almost every time, they express a life that is not vibrant with the Lord. I am not saying they are lost. But I am saying they have drifted away from the words of knowledge that are a lamp to their feet and a light to their path. This drift is not a function of not listening to me but simply the spiritual principle that when we stop listening, we start drifting. I always invite them back or encourage them to be a part of a local church or, at the very least, listen online. We tend to drift as humans and need the words of God that help us recalibrate our hearts and get back on the right path. And stay there.
I am not saying church is the only answer. Church is part of the answer. The other part of not drifting is to feed ourselves on a regular basis with God’s words of instruction. Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” ESV. If you have been to the beach, you know there is a current that we can’t see, and it is constantly pulling at us. We go into the water right in front of our towels and wind up way down the beach. We didn’t mean to drift, but the current is a reality. There is a spiritual current in this world that does not pull us toward a Christ-honoring life. We cannot stop or avoid the current, but we can get stronger than the pull. A key to getting stronger spiritually is to keep hearing the words of God that bring correction, discipline, and instruction.
So keep listening. And stay, don’t stray. That’s not a song, but it is catchy.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your words that strengthen me and light my way so I don’t drift away from You and I stay on the path of life, which is a far better way to live.