In 2020, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers discussed his Christian upbringing on his girlfriend’s podcast. “Church on Sundays was more like, ‘Make sure you dress a certain way, don’t bring that person, this person’s going to get looked at strangely if they show up,’” he says. “I think, again, it’s very black and white in a binary sense, but I don’t think it’s very welcoming. It can be a crutch,” he adds. “It can be something people have to have to make themselves feel better.” Rodgers says he ultimately didn’t believe in an all-or-nothing approach to God, such as “saved and unsaved,” “heaven or hell,” or “enlightened or heathen.”

When Rodgers attended college, he didn’t feel connected to any religious organizations and began to “question things.” He also met friends with different beliefs whom he enjoyed learning from. Eventually, he drifted entirely away from the church where he was raised and that he had attended with his parents.

Hebrews 2 – Anchored Faith

The writer of Hebrews warns about spiritual drifting, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1). The warning uses vivid sailing imagery, evoking a ship whose anchor has broken loose and is drifting dangerously away. The warning is meant for the pressured church, drifting farther and farther from Christ and toward the old world of Judaism.

The book of Hebrews was written to converted Jews who were suffering persecution from both unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. Drifting back to their old system of Judaism would have lessened the persecution they faced. This chapter seeks to convince them that Jesus Christ deserves their loyalty because He is superior in His person and work.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete don’t neglect spiritual matters. They pay attention to the guardrails of God’s Word so they don’t drift into a spiritual ditch.

Bible Memory Verse – “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute: The Danger of Drifting

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