DAILY DEVOTIONAL – July 23, 2020

“Pay Attention”

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, there is no power in heaven or on earth that is mightier than You.  As promised, You have sent Your Son Jesus to us, who on the cross crushed the head of the devil, shattered the grave, and atoned for the sins of all humanity.  Guard and protect our faith, our minds, and our hearts so that we do not drift away from the truth of Your salvation.  Amen.

Scripture:  Hebrews 2:1

We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Devotional  – “Pay Attention”

Have you ever been to the beach?  Swam in the waves or surfed in them?  It can be an incredibly fun and exhilarating experience.  At the same time, the ocean is equally as dangerous as it is majestic.  The biggest danger for beach goers lies under the water.  No, not with the sharks and other slimy, crawling, flapping creatures in the water, but with the invisible forces actual moving through the water itself.  If you’re not careful, within minutes you could be unwittingly and unknowingly pulled out dangerously far from shore and unable to swim back in.  Rip currents are some of the most lethal forces on the beach.  Rip currents are strong, narrow ocean currents flowing outward from the beach back into the ocean through the surf zone, taking unsuspecting swimmers with them.

According to National Geographic, there are on average 19 shark attacks that happen in the US each year.  There are 30,000 people that have to be rescued from rip currents.  An average of 1 person every 2 years dies from a shark attack, but there are on average 100 people that drown in rip currents.  Source: http://natgeotv.com/ca/human-shark-bait/facts

The reason rip currents are so dangerous is because although very strong and efficient in their ability to pull you out to sea, the effect you feel on your body is almost unnoticeable until you have already drifted into one.

There are two main ways that you can successfully protect yourself and/or escape from rip currents (other than not going into the ocean ).

1. Know, Know, and Know some more.
   1. Know how to swim and be good at it.  Swimming in the ocean isn’t like swimming in the pool.  You have to learn to swim, not just float, or all you will do is drift away and be pulled and pushed around by whatever currents are around you.
   2. Know how to escape if you are caught in a rip current.  The most effective way to get out of a rip current is to swim parallel to the shore since rip currents pull perpendicularly from the shore.
   3. Know why rip currents are deadly.  The #1 reason people die in rip currents is because they are surprised by them.  Though there is no current in the ocean that can “pull you under”, when you experience the force of a rip current that is what it feels like.  That’s when panic sets in.  Panic because people don’t know what’s happening or know how to escape.
2. Pay attention.  Before going into the ocean, look at the water.  Though you can’t avoid them very well once you are in the water, you certainly can make sure you don’t waltz right into one.  If you look up rip currents online, you will see they often have distinctive features.  Even when in the water you may be able to see a rip current if there is a noticeable break in the incoming wave pattern, a channel of churning and choppy water, or a difference in water color (sand being kicked up into the water).
   1. Pay Attention to the signs.  Lifeguards put out signs and warnings when rip currents are most active.  Ignore the signs to your own peril!

In our spiritual life and walk with God following His Son Jesus, there are many rip currents that linger beneath the surface and that we can drift into if we are not careful.  The author of the book of Hebrews was likely a pastor who turned a sermon into a letter; a sermon that was probably titled “PAY ATTENTION!!!”  Isn’t that when many of the problems in life start, for all of us?  When we stop paying attention to what is most important, that is when we start to drift away into dangerous waters.

“Pay attention to what you have heard so that you do not drift away from it.”  Our sinful nature is prone to drift, and the temptations of the devil and this world only ensure trouble and panic if we aren’t paying attention to the life saving words of truth God has given us.  Simply put, once saved is not always saved.

In verse 2 and 3 that follow in our passage, it says, “For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

Knowing what you need to know about rip currents and swimming in the ocean and paying attention to what you have heard about them can make swimming in the ocean fun and safe even amidst the danger.  The same can be said about our salvation and our living by faith in Jesus.

We must not only know what God’s Word says, but we must also pay attention to it in order to avoid drifting away.  Later in chapter 6 in Hebrews it says in, “When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.”

That oath and promise of God given to us in His Word is our anchor.

Romans 1:16, “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Know and pay attention to the Word of God that is the power of your salvation, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today, and has already taken care of tomorrow.  Amen.