Harsh Warnings & Sweet Promises

Let’s be honest: It’s easy to become spiritually sluggish. After all, it takes energy to stay the course. My guess is that Paul understood this. In Colossians 1:9-11 he says, “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience....” Just as Pastor Andrew reminded us that we need to continue to grow and mature and crave pure, spiritual food, we need to continually ask God to fill us with knowledge of His will to avoid spiritual drift. Sadly, many of us find it easy to become lazy in the affairs of the soul. We skip our prayers, slide through worship, and don’t make regular Bible reading a habit. We have things happen to us, and we experience the pain of the choices we (or others make), and it causes us to question. Taken to its extreme, this sluggishness might lead to thoughts like, “Do I believe these things anymore?” Have I matured enough and done enough work that God could save me?” “Am I even a Christian?” While Hebrews 6 warns us about spiritual drift, it is actually filled with hope. It is never too late to hear God’s call to return and to remember that God is present and faithful. God is a promise-keeper, and His promises to save and bring us to glory are guaranteed in Christ.