DATE POSTED: Friday, November 17, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Royal Floridian Resort, Ormond Beach, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN Hebrews 2:1-3

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: So we must listen very carefully to the truths we have heard, or we may drift away from them. For since the messages from angels have always proved true and people have always been punished for disobeying them, what makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation announced by the Lord Jesus himself and passed on to us by those who heard him speak?

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: Should this devotional be addressed to a boater, I’m sure he would first think of this as advice on how best to secure his boat, so that it won’t drift away while he’s asleep, or otherwise busy. If to a banker, he might look at this as advice on how to avoid seeing his bank drift away from the ‘A’ rating received from regulators during their last visit. To a married couple, this message should encourage them to seek ways to avoid drifting away from the love and excitement they felt for each other on their wedding day, and for 10, 20 or 30 years later, for they may have ‘drifted’ from that excitement if they allowed other distractions into their individual lives. And so it is in our Christian walk. God gave us the full picture, including what it will look like in heaven and who all will be there with us. However, God also gave us free will to follow Him as Lord of our lives – just like when we accepted Him, or to actually drift away from Him and be miserable souls here on earth. This particular Scripture was given to believers who may had given in to the leadership of, and trust in, angels. Often it’s the very things that sound angelic or that provided positive outlooks in the Bible, that Satan will use to confuse us and/or cause us to drift away from the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit, or distract us from the commitment we may have made to our Lord and Savior many years ago. Friends, I believe this Scripture is intended to challenge us to stay true to God’s Word, always cement a close bond with our Savior, and be determined to let nothing come between us and our Lord. Some married men may kid around and say that they told their wives on their wedding day that he loved them, and they don’t need to keep repeating that, unless something changes! Unfortunately, some Christians may tend to think that way about their salvation. But let’s all be reminded today that on the day we committed our lives to Jesus as our Lord, we entered into a covenant relationship with Him. We basically committed to obeying His commands, His Word, and to live life very much like He showed us through His Word. Because we have new challenges every day, our relationship with Jesus will require speaking with, and hearing from Jesus every day. It’s what comes in through our ears and eyes that fills our heart for output. Many can give us very detailed information about their favorite sports figure, or team, because of their interest in that sport, team or individual. Perhaps if we were sold out to Jesus in a similar way, others might start recognizing in whom we believe, and to whom we owe our lives. Salvation is not a one-time decision that allows you to check one more thing off your to-do list. Instead, it’s a day and time that you decided to turn your life completely around, leave your old life behind, and start in a new direction following Jesus and His ways. In marriage, I told my wife that I would commit myself to her til death do us part. In our relationship with Jesus Christ, may we commit ourselves to Him til death brings us even closer together in heaven, and may that commitment be so passionate that we will ask God to help us ward off daily distractions that could otherwise cause us to drift away from Him. For those Satan-sized distractions, we need a God-sized plan that only He can achieve for us and through us. Walking haphazardly into His presence a few times per year, or even once a week in public worship, can hardly be considered daily and hourly communion with Him.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, thank You for being so sacrificial, loving and caring about us on a minute by minute basis. Please forgive us for giving in to the ways of this world, led by the advisory, that consistently pulls us away from You and Your perfect will for us. Satan is very much the source of our ‘drifting’ away from Your will. Lord, You created us in Your image, so I can only believe that you knew full well that we would be weak and ineffective without You prominently in our hearts and lives. Forgive us Lord for wanting to show our independence and thinking that we could handle the likes of Satan and his wicked army on our own. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!