We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Heb. 2:1)
Expanded Passage: Hebrews 2:1-3
One sunny May afternoon, two Florida teens, Heather Brown and Tyler Smith, skipped school and headed to the beach with friends from Christ Church Academy. The adventuring high school seniors saw an island in the distance and thought it would be fun to swim to it. However, before they realized their danger, the tide pulled them in the wrong direction and out to sea. Without life jackets, the flailing teens found themselves in a desperate situation. For over two hours they treaded water, called for help, and prayed desperately. When all seemed hopeless, Heather and Tyler were miraculously rescued by a boat, appropriately named Amen.
In the spiritual realm, without vigilance, we can unwittingly drift from biblical faithfulness and wholehearted devotion to Christ. We swim in cultural tides increasingly antagonistic to a Christian life and worldview. Before realizing it, undercurrents can tug us into swirling seas of doubt, spiritual compromise, and lukewarmness. Like Heather and Tyler, we unwittingly fail to see the danger even as the tide carries us from safety.
But help is on the way! God provides a lifeboat: his Word! He rescues us with a hearty “Amen!” The word amen means “so be it.” Drifting is dangerous and there is a better way to be! We can guard against losing our first love by renewing our devotion to Jesus and clinging to his Word.
Keep your focus on your destination.
Mark O. Wilson serves as Division of Religion chair at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
