There are many reasons that people drift. Those who settle for a shallow relationship with Christ will find that they will never have the depth to make it through the rough spots of life. There can be times when our spiritual depth can be like a mud puddle, small and shallow. We think it’s fine to have this kind of spiritual life, but this is far from what Jesus had in mind for His disciples. The lack of spiritual depth will lead to nothing but a withered and dead spiritual life.

So many Christians today try to run ahead of the Lord’s plan for our lives, forgetting our primary responsibility is to obey God’s will for our lives. There are many good things we can do in following God’s priorities, including worship and evangelism. There are many other activities that are not essential.

The Gospel is about Jesus Christ, period, and we have victory in Jesus. Now is the time to live out that victory day in and day out. When churches start to drift from Christ, the results are the loss of growth, the loss of grace, and the loss of Godliness. The coming together in fellowship is only an integral part of the Gospel, which is a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are meant to grow closer in oneness with Jesus, (born again)—and it is impossible to grow when we settle for a lower kind of relationship that causes us to lose the potential we can only find in Jesus. When we live at a lower level, we are out of Christ’s power and miss out on the grace moments of life. Grace moments are those times that you can look back and say, God was with me in a real way.

When we strive to become like Jesus, our Godliness shows in the spiritual discipline we choose to live by. When we are not striving for more, we tend to walk away from the essentials of spiritual living—like daily time with God in prayer. Daily time in God’s word, and seeking genuine times of praise and worship are essential. What do we do about drifting? First we must recognize our personal needs. There will never be a greater movement of God in your life if you are satisfied with where you are right now. The key to a deep relationship with Jesus is the issue of closeness, not feeling. Feelings are fickle and can betray you. If you can remember a time in your life when you were closer to Jesus than you are right now, you need to get back to that place. Remember when you knew His presence and His power. Repent means to turn away from, then return to those things that will help you grow as a Christian; return to your daily devotion; return to your closer walk with Christ; return to where you belong. Stop drifting and come back to a relationship that you have been missing. Develop that intimacy you long for with Christ, one that brings peace, comfort, and joy.
My weekly prayer is that the reader of this commentary becomes spiritually inspired of God. Contact Expressions of Faith at P.O. Box 330127, Nashville, Tenn. 37203; or e-mail <watsonwr68@gmail.com>.God bless!