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Prone to Wander

As Timothy describes, there will always be a temptation to wander away from the truth.

We can hear the sixteenth-century hymn writer Robert Robinson proclaim this reality from the depths of his own experience, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, O take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.” We can join right in with him, “Prone to wander, Lord, we feel it! Prone to leave you, the God we love, and neglect the gospel with which you rescued us from despair and eternal destruction.”

What is it that pulls at you or pulls you down? What do you find yourself dwelling on? Do you compare yourself to others? Does entertainment keep you from spending time in the Word, or is it about achieving tight abs, the next social media post, or staying current with the latest news? Without realizing it, do you take pride in your sacrifice for Jesus, your devotion to Him, your Bible knowledge, or your dedicated service to others? What about your parenting, your children’s accomplishments, or your career success?

What is it? What is driving your agenda? These are not easy questions, but they are essential. They are not asked to discourage you but to help you gain an accurate assessment of your heart with the purpose of learning how to guard the gospel. As you are contemplating the gospel, you may be realizing that you do not see it as the most valuable, priceless, excellent, and praiseworthy thing you have been given. Many things pull at our hearts, not just material possessions, but even the love, affection, and acceptance of our friends and family. Remember, as mentioned yesterday, our treasure is where our heart is. We are so easily drawn to earthly comforts, security, accomplishments, and appearances. Ask the Lord again to examine your heart, your partitions, and hidden compartments. Journal what He reveals to you. It is amazing what can hide in plain sight! Nothing is hidden from the Lord.

All of us are vulnerable to becoming distracted, deceived, or diverted from keeping our eyes on Christ. We cannot guard the gospel if we get caught up, distracted, and absorbed by the things of this world and lose sight of the gospel. We will always be tempted to hold onto anything but the gospel. The gospel is under siege, and we are weak.

Ask the Lord to reveal what is hidden.