Slipping Away
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Hebrews 2:1
A paraphrase of this verse goes like this: “We should give exceeding attention to the things we have heard, so that they will not flow away.” For some reason, we tend to be forgetful about certain things. We can hear something over and over again, but if we are not giving our most diligent attention to what we are hearing we will very soon forget. The same is true concerning the things we have heard from God’s Word. We need to hear them over again, but we need to give our utmost attention to them.
We tend to give attention to things that we think are important. If our interest lies in technology we tend to pay close attention when we hear something about technology, and we retain that information. Paul often reminds us of the great importance of the gospel that we have heard. He encouraged Timothy many times concerning the diligence due the study and retention of the Gospel. 1 Timothy 4:13–16; 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:2, 15; 3:14–17.
Our enemy, Satan, is very smart, and subtle. He rarely attempts to just tear us away from the Gospel, and from our relationship with our Lord. He works to slowly draw us away after other things. It is a slipping away that happens slowly over time as we neglect the Word of God. Sometimes, it even comes in the form of “spiritual” things that grab our attention and draw us slowly away from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3.
In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns us about letting ourselves be robbed by those that would bring anything that is not after Christ. This is how Christians allow the truth of God’s Word to slip away; they get distracted by things that are not after Christ. Things that sound good, and appeal to the intellect or to the emotions, but are not after Christ.
We live in a time when more information is being placed in front of us in so many ways than ever before. You can read and hear and watch so many things by so many people. It is more imperative than ever that we know God’s Word today, as it is the only rule by which we can and should measure every thing we hear and see. The right question to ask ourselves about any topic is: what does God’s Word say?
Paul is encouraging us to pay close attention to what we have heard and learned from God’s Word. We can be certain that there is nothing more important in our life. Everything else that comes along is only of temporal value, but the Word of God, worked in our lives by the Holy Spirit, is of eternal value. May we be careful not to neglect the study of God’s Word.
Gordon Crook
