Water movement is one cause of soil erosion, which may result from flooding, rainwater runoff or melting snow. The water takes soil from one place (e.g., a riverbank or a mountain top) and deposits it somewhere else (e.g., a delta). As the soil gets moved from one place to another, some areas lose soil while other places are built up. Erosion may result in fertile soil being washed downstream. Farmers and gardeners living upstream need to replace their soil, while people downstream benefit from the erosion upstream. Water movement is not the only cause for erosion, for wind also does its part, too. In either case, soil does not do anything to cause or to prevent erosion. Soil is affected by weather and does not have any control over whether it gets moved or stays in place.
Our faith also can either grow, or it can erode away. We often read and hear about ways to grow our faith. We may even start to engage in activities that help our faith. However, we can also engage in activities that result in the erosion of our faith. How often do we think about sabotaging our faith? What kind of activities cause our faith to erode away?
Not Paying Attention to God’s Word – The writer of Hebrews penned, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away…how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…” (Hebrews 2:1, 3a NKJV). If we do not give the utmost attention to God’s teaching, then, we will not be grounded in the faith, and we will drift away from our Lord.
Not Attending Church Services – The same penman encouraged, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25). The writer warned about drifting away and encouraged the readers to assemble with one another. When we neglect the assembly, we cut ourselves off from our greatest support system – our brethren.
Not Letting Sin Bother You – Listen again to the writer of Hebrews, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27). It is one thing to fall short and to sin, but it is another matter altogether for one to sin and it not bother him anymore. We must not commit sins without regard for what God thinks about it.
When we fail to safeguard our hearts and minds, the cares, worries and ways of the world steal away our faith. All we have to do for our faith to erode away is nothing. Just live as if God does not care about our manner of living and our faith will erode completely away.
