23 & 24 May 2026 (Pastoral Page) THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL DRIFT

by Dn Leong Pei De, Victor

(adapted from a sermon by Ps Craig Groeschel - Keep a Good Marriage From Drifting)

“Life happened” is a phrase I frequently turn to when I can’t quite seem to describe the reasons things have gone a certain way. Life, as it turns out, has a way of presenting incessant events, challenges and circumstances which creep in and cause one to drift from established routines, committed friendships, and the best of our resolutions. Soon there is a new normal- we put in more hours at work after a promotion; have to plan for one’s retirement early; settle your mortgage payments; ferry the children to classes and activities; think about ministry direction and plans; care for your grandchildren; travel; exercise; self-care. Life happened, and you got busy and started to drift from what’s most important.

What’s happened to Pete who used to play the drums for Sunday worship? Where’s Margeret who regularly attended the CG? Life happened. No one starts off with ill intentions, quite the opposite we intend to passionately pursue God, to form helpful spiritual rhythms and obediently follow Him in the other six days too. We don’t wake up one morning deciding to abandon God, but instead a Monday at a time, our lives get crowded out by distracting responsibilities and circumstances that the desire to seriously pursue after God is but an afterthought.

This may be a form of spiritual apathy that’s plaguing many churches today, simply because life happened, we’ve allowed ourselves to become distracted and stopped placing God in the centre of our lives. There is a difference between a Christian life and a Christ-centered life. A Christian person believes in God, but a Christ-centered person builds his/her life around Him. God is very likely a part of your life, but this is distinct from Him being at the very center of it.

This situation also happened to the Israelites back in the day, and arguably to those who were faithful, committed and zealous – the folks who wanted to head back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city after the years of exile. In fact, they started out strong, but later were described as ⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (Haggai 1: 6) They had every intention to obey God, but they were rebuked by the prophet Haggai for building up their own houses and taking care of their own lives instead of rebuilding the LORD’s house first. They didn’t stop loving God, but gradually, slowly they stopped building their lives around Him. The familiar decline is often subtle, over time and unintended.

How then should we put God back in the center of our lives? I do not provide the solution, but two passages from scripture which are instructive. The church in Ephesus was in many regards a good church, Revelation 2:2-5–“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. ⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

However they were rebuked for forsaking their first love, God. We don’t intend to drift, to be so busy that we crowd God out, or lose sight of him, but after drifting for some time, we are far from Him. The Word of God says to do the things that you first did. That’s it? Yes, possibly! There was a point in time when God was your first love, when you were fully surrendered to Him, when you experienced His love personally and recognized His voice in the big and small things. Recount the times in the past when you were close to God and consider what habits and rhythms were most helpful to you then. Were you praying consistently and asking for wisdom to make big and small decisions? Were you faithfully reading the word? Keeping a journal, writing down prayers and thanksgivings; meeting with people who would both encourage and rebuke as needed? Do the things you did at first.

If you’ve not experienced what it means to have God at the center of your life, this is an opportunity to start building it. Haggai 1:7-8 “⁷ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁸ Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.” We’re told to give careful thought to our ways, not try harder or do more. Pause, slow down and deliberate, reflect, take time to consider what works and then do what works. Take time today to think about what gets your first and best– Children; aged parents; spouse; career; appearance; health; bank account; retirement plans; investment accounts; hobbies; passions projects? If Jesus is first, how is he appearing on your calendar, in your evenings and showing up in the decisions you make?

Our theme for this year is “More of God in Every Season.” Let us give careful thought to our ways (Haggai 1:7), do the things we did at first (Revelation 2:5) so we are not simply drifting through our lives, but building our entire lives around God.