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Drifting

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April 2008:
Which Version of the Bible?

Last week during revival services at Lakeview Baptist Church, I preached a sermon about “finishing well.” The following night Yvonne Smith handed me a copy of an e-mail she had received that day. She told me she wanted me to read it. The e-mail captured in a paragraph the essence of what I had waxed eloquent upon for about 50 minutes the previous night. I do not know who actually wrote this, or I would give them credit, but listen to what the e-mail said: The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family, and flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, and a Driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

It was Andy Stanley who said In life, everybody winds up somewhere - a few people wind up somewhere on purpose!

In the Movie Alice in Wonderland, Alice encounters a Cheshire cat. She magically engages the cat in conversation and asks him which way she should go. The cat asks her where she wants to go. She tells him it really does not matter. He replies, Then it really does not matter which way you go.

Each of these illustrations point out one glaring truth – successful people, successful businesses, and successful churches do not drift to success. Success is found at the end of a well-plotted course and a well-executed plan that includes room for evaluation and adjustments along the way.

One of the greatest detriments to the cause of Christianity today is well-intentioned, good-hearted people and congregations whose faith is drifting. We have forgotten that quality always attracts, but mediocrity breeds indifference. Drifting causes the believer, whose faith was once a passion that burned cherry-red in his heart, to settle for mediocrity. Honest evaluation and adjustments are no longer made. Faith is no longer active and the “settled for” is what is “settled for.” Sadly, faith is adrift.

As the old saying states, The Road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions. It is not good enough to plot our life course. It is not good enough to be traveling our life path. To arrive at our destination requires honest evaluation and adjustments along the way.

If an airplane taking off in New York and heading for Tel Aviv, Israel drifts off course just one degree north for the duration of the flight, it will land in Moscow Russia, 1,644 miles off course. You see, it is not good enough to simply plot the course and be engaged in the journey. Why? Because there is this little thing called the jet stream that is constantly pushing against the airplane trying to push it off course. Consequently, somebody or some device inside the airplane must constantly be asking the question Where on planet earth is this plane right now? Then they must take the answer, compare it to where they are supposed to be, and make the necessary course corrections. Sadly, it is easier to drift than make honest evaluations and course corrections.

I heard a story the other day of someone who called a friend and got his or her voice mail. The voice on the other end of the line said something like this: I’m sorry that I cannot take your call at this time. I am in the process of making some changes in my life. Please leave your name and number. If I do not get back with you, you are one of those changes! Oooohhh! Changes are tough, aren’t they?

Sadly, many who will read this Pastoral Nugget, including me, have areas in our lives that are adrift. For some, it may be your faith. For others it may be a myriad of things ranging from marriage, careers, family life, finances, friendships, or ten thousand other things. And the strange part is that we are not necessarily adrift because we have plotted the course incorrectly, messed up badly, or are not engaged in the journey. No. Drifting usually occurs because of two things. First, we forget that the devil’s ill wind is constantly blowing against us trying to push us off course. Secondly, we fail to do an honest evaluation of where we are and make the necessary course adjustments.

In large malls every so often, the designers installed directories that show the location of every store in the mall. As you walk up to the directory, the first thing you see is a large arrow pointing to a spot on the directory that says You are here! Why did they do that? Because the designers realized that if you do not know where you are you cannot make the necessary course adjustments to get where you want to go.

I close this Nugget today with a question. If somehow we could all magically see a directory of your personal spiritual journey through life, and there was a gigantic arrow pointing to a spot on the directory that says You are here, where would here be? Would it be anywhere close to where you meant to be? How far have you drifted?

Drifting is a dangerous thing. However, the good news is that Jesus Christ encourages honest evaluation and allows course corrections.

Brother Aaron

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