We are to see the importance of recognizing the gift of salvation and its truth.
Hebrews 2:1-3
1 We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.
What causes one to lose attentiveness to God and His Word? What are the distractions? Sin is a powerful but destructive measure that puts the focus on personal pleasure and satisfaction. It is the distraction that keeps one from recognizing the need for a Savior. God loves each and every one of us. The purpose of salvation is to “save” the person who is condemned because of sin. Sin is what separates a person from having a fulfilling relationship with God. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross takes the place of our sin that condemns us.
The distractions that keep us from God are many, including the appearance that others are succeeding in their wickedness.
Psalm 73:1-28
A psalm of Asaph.
1 God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.
3 For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have an easy time until they die,
and their bodies are well-fed.
5 They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.
6 Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.
10 Therefore His people turn to them
and drink in their overflowing waters.
11 They say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.
13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?
14 For I am afflicted all day long,
and punished every morning.
15 If I had decided to say these things [aloud],
I would have betrayed Your people.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.
18 Indeed You put them in slippery places;
You make them fall into ruin.
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, You will despise their image.
21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being was wounded,
22 I was a fool and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterwards You will take me up in glory.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And I desire nothing on earth but You.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart,
my portion forever.
27 Those far from You will certainly perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
so I can tell about all You do.
If you fail to understand God’s working in your life, you will ultimately drift away from Him. To understand God’s will and how He is operating in your life, you must study His Word and learn more about Him every day. We should not be deceived by the appearance of those who believe that they are prospering in their sin. In reality, their prosperity is short-lived…in fact, they are miserable.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you” —[this is] the LORD’s declaration—”plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For the person who follows the Lord Jesus Christ, God has a plan for you. For the person who does not follow the Lord, there is no plan for them other than their destruction.
There is no escape from sin and its destruction without God. Remember the gospel and what God commands for each and every believer.
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
If you give heed to the gospel and follow Jesus Christ in obedience, you escape the pain of sin and its consequences. Don’t allow the wicked to affect your heart and the way God has called you to live.
Psalm 73:21-23
21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being was wounded,
22 I was a fool and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.
Psalm 23:1-6
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear [no] danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
as long as I live.
Everything that we receive comes from God. What we have is because of who we are in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and show you the way to go;
with My eye on you, I will give counsel.
God is always with the believer, no matter how things appear to be. When you reflect on the goodness of God and all that He has done, you cannot help but be thankful for His preserving and protecting you.
John 10:28-29
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
When we remind ourselves of what God has promised for us, we can remained focused on His gift of eternal life for all of us who trust in Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior.
John 3:16-17
16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 