"Slip sliding away, slip sliding away - You know the nearer your destination, the more you're slip sliding away" - Simon & Garfunkle

Songs speak to me. Yes, sometimes even secular songs. The other day I was thinking about this: "Why do we, as Christians (and I hope you are one), fall away (or "slip" away) from the Lord so many times in life?" As I pondered this question, the line above from a song almost 30 years ago, came to mind.

It's an age-old subject that even the apostle Paul wrestled with more than 2,000 years ago. He addressed the thought in the Scriptures: "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish." (Romans 7:19) When we do the things we know we shouldn't, we are indeed slipping away. From GOD.

There are circumstances in our lives that may lend us tendency to slip slide away, but mostly it is a choice of our own volition. For example:

. You're tired. Had a long day. So you don't read your Bible that night, or go to church. Pretty soon ALL your days are "tired and long". You have "slip slided away".

. Someone you loves dies. You don't understand the "injustice" of it all. You get mad at God. You quit "talking" or praying to Him. Yep - you've "slip slided away".

Perhaps at this point you become "self-sufficient" - you no longer feel that you even need God. Another Simon & Garfunkle song comes to mind: "I am a rock; I am an island." But are you really that strong? No!! JESUS is the rock! (Deuteronomy 32:4) God said to Job (38:4), "Where were YOU when I laid the foundation of the earth?!" The reality is: You have no power of your own. We NEED Jesus!

Another line from the song "Slip Sliding Away" goes like this: "We think we're gliding down the highway, when in fact we're slip sliding away." The Bible says our life is but a vapor. (James 4:14) Whoosh!... and one day we'll be gone. Our LIVES are slip sliding away! When we stand before a holy & righteous God on judgment day, what will our excuse be for our wasted days on earth while we were "slip sliding away" from Him?

Let Him find you faithful! When Christ is the center of our lives, our days will not be "tired and long"! And we won't see death as an "injustice", but a stepping stone to the Rock! Put on your heavenly armor to prepare you for each new day He gives you! (Ephesians 6:11) Read your Bible in the morning instead of the evening! Ask others to pray for you. Invite someone to go with you to church, and have an accountability "partner-in-praise"! Then when your time has come to depart from this world, you can "slip slide" right into heaven with a shout of joy!