A WORD FOR TODAY, February 3, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, February 3, 2026
“Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?” Hebrews 2:1-4, WEB
We are studying the book of Hebrews in my adult forum class at church. The letter or sermon was written to people who were struggling with their Christian faith. The world around them was beginning to reject and persecute those who were following Jesus, and it was becoming a life-or-death decision. It is easy for us to drift from the faith, even when persecution is minor, as it is for most Christians particularly in the United States. The early Christian Jews were tempted to return to their old faith, but the writer of the book of Hebrews wanted them to remember that Jesus is better than anything they had in their old life. He is better than the angels. He is better than the Law. He is better than Moses.
The writer warns the readers against losing sight of God. The warning is minor to begin, “Don’t drift away.” The other warnings get more firm: don’t rebel, disobey, reject, or willfully sin. The thing we have to remember is that when we begin to drift, it becomes easier to move farther and farther from God until we are so turned around that sin seems right and faithful living seems wrong. God does not want us to turn from Him. He allows us to suffer the consequences when we lose sight of Him, but He is never far away. He reminds us of His mercy and grace in ways we might not expect, we just have to pay attention.
I was shopping in the after Christmas clearance section of a hobby store one day when I found the cutest cross ornament. It has a picture of a baby with the words of a nighttime prayer I recall praying when I was a child. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” I use ornaments like these for small paintings, so I had to buy all I could find. I recently had the opportunity to use one for a friend who had a baby to hang in the nursery. When she opened it she remembered saying the same thing when she was a child. The memory made her smile.
Now, I don’t think my friend is tempted to drift from the faith, but this was an example of how God keeps Himself in front of us, giving us subtle reminds of His love. My friend and I learned that prayer when we were children, and we used (or will use) that prayer with our own children. The continuity of the fellowship of believers is one way He welcomes to the path of faith and keeps us there.
The writer of the book of Hebrews understood his readers would struggling with their faith. Many of the early Christians thought Jesus was late in coming, so they began to doubt. They were suffering from broken relationships with their family and neighbors. They were at risk of persecution from both the Jews and the Romans. Turning from Jesus was the easy path. But the writer asked, “How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” Yes, God gave the Jews the Law. Yes, God loves His people. But God also gave them something greater: Jesus. He proved Jesus is the right way to experience God’s incredible grace in so many ways: through His Word, through signs and wonders, works of power, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Are you struggling with your faith? Watch for God to give you a reminder of His amazing grace. It might seem like nothing, like a prayer from your childhood on an ornament in the clearance section, but it is God putting Himself before you, showing you that He is there with you through all your struggles, big or little. Do not drift from the faith, because nothing is better than the salvation that Jesus Christ won for you. Hear His voice. See His love. Remember the faith that was shared with you from those who came before, keeping your eyes on the One who saved you for something greater than this world can every provide.
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