Have you ever been adrift in life? Several weeks ago Carol and I attended a church in north Denver and the pastor's sermon was about being adrift in life. I took notes and found them the other day under a pile on my desk. I often take sermon notes these days, not for use in preaching, but for Weekly Messages like this one!
His message reminded me of a time when we owned a canoe and were learning how to use it. Another couple was with us in their canoe on a river near our North Dakota home. Our afternoon of learning how to handle a canoe quickly turned into a Splash Fest of laughter and getting wet. At one point my wife and I both lost our paddles, and we were drifting until we realized we were "up a creek without a paddle." We tried paddling with our hands, but our experienced friends retrieved our paddles for us. It was a fun memory to recall.
The pastor spoke of four reasons why people might find themselves adrift in life. 1) We may be blaming God for their problems, or 2) we are succumbing to life's negative influences, or 3) we are giving in to harmful temptations that "everyone else is doing," or, 4) we are loving the things of this world way too much. All four of these reasons will drive a wedge between us and God and will eventually cast us adrift in life.
Having given us God's Law that showed us our sins, the pastor then showed us the Gospel of forgiveness in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rescued us from being adrift. The pastor then told us how to keep from drifting through God's Word, God's Sacraments and God's Prayer Line. Making regular use of these will keep us from from drifting and closer to God in life. I don't recall he used the phrase, "up a creek without a paddle," but his fine message brought that past incident to mind.
The sermon reminded me of a favorite Bible verse, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will make good things happen." (Psalm 37:5)
Are you adrift in life right now? What will you do about it?
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