Pay Closer Attention

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1, ESV)

Why Read/Study The Bible?

There a sentiment growing amongst Christians today. It goes something like this: “We need to stop focusing so much on KNOWING things and focus more on DOING things. We already know enough to live the Christian life. Let’s stop wasting our time studying the Bible and Theology and let’s get out into the world and LOVE people.” 

On the surface, this is a compelling line of thought. Of course we want to love our neighbor. God commanded us to do that. So, why waste time reading and studying a book, when we could do what God commanded us to do? We should “make the best use of our time” (Ephesians 5:16) and DO SOMETHING. 

The Problem

Anyone who wholeheartedly thinks this way quickly encounters a problem. As they get out into the world and start LOVING people, they immediately recognize that there are different ideas about what LOVE looks like. One neighbor will tell you you need to love THIS WAY, and another neighbor will tell you NOT TO LOVE that way. Who’s right? How do you know who’s right? How can you ever figure out who’s right? 

The quick and easy answer: By reading and studying God’s Word. 

Making the Best Use of Our Time

The command to “make the best use of our time” (Ephesians 5:16) has a context that we need to acknowledge. Right before the Apostle Paul tells us to “make the best use of our time” he tells us, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,” (Ephesians 5:15, ESV), and he follows the command saying, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17, ESV).

He begins by telling us to LIVE WISELY in the world and ends by telling us NOT to be foolish but to UNDERSTAND the Lord’s will. That’s HOW we make the best use of our time. If we are living foolishly in the world and not understanding God’s will, we are wasting our time. To say it stronger, if we are so busy “loving people” that we don’t take time to understand HOW God has called to love those people, we are wasting our time.

Therefore, if we want to “make the best use of our time” we HAVE TO be reading and studying our bibles regularly SO THAT we can rightly love God and love our neighbors. We should never think we’re “wasting our time” by reading and studying God’s Word. Rather, we are told that it is the best use of our time. 

Preventing Drift

In my devotions this morning, I came across this passage in Hebrews and felt compelled to pass it along. Here’s what I read: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1, ESV).

At the heart of this verse is a warning. If we do not pay close attention to the teachings of God’s Word, we will drift away from it and float along with the currents of our culture. 

It’s important to notice the exact wording used in this passage. It doesn’t say, “We must occasionally read God’s Word.” It doesn’t say, “We should understand some of the Bible stories.” It doesn’t even say, “We should read our Bibles every day.” It says “we must PAY CLOSER ATTENTION…lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1, ESV). That means we must do MORE than just read God’s Word. It means we need to carefully and studiously read God’s Word. If we aren’t reading God’s Word in that way, we cannot stand firm when the cultural currents get ahold of us. We will get swept downstream, drifting away from God and His Word. 

Study God’s Word and Live

As I wrap up, it’s important that we never see this as an either-or situation. We must never think we have to decide between studying God’s Word and loving people. Yes, we are commanded to study God’s Word so that the cultural currents don’t sweep us away—so we can know how to truly love God and neighbor. But we’re also told, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” (James 1:22–24, ESV). 

We need BOTH. We must never be satisfied with only sitting in our chair, reading our Bibles, never venturing out into the world. Rather, we are to pay close attention to what we read in God’s Word, then pay close attention as we live in the world God created.