The sin of omission

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Scripture

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
(James 4:17 NASB)

 

Observation


So often we think of sin as the wrong things that we do. This is an interesting statement helping us to understand that sin is also the right things that we don't do! Why is this important? Because the follower of Christ is transformed into the image of Christ. The responses of life are to be the responses of Christ. When we refuse to be Christ to our world, then we are sinning.

 

Application


What does this look like on a daily basis? I believe that it means that we pray every single day that Christ will be reflected in us -- whether we are at work, at the grocery store, or on an air plane! Every time I get on a plane I pray that God will help me to be sensitive to the person next to me and have the conversations with them that the Lord would want me to have. There are times when people will suddenly want to talk -- but there are others when people just keep to themselves. Either way -- I pray for those people, that they will sense God in all ways.

The noise of life can be deafening and can keep us from hearing what God truly wants and desires for us. We keep ourselves so busy with things that we can't begin to hear the direction in which God may be leading us. The result may be sins of omission, because we are not doing what God would want us to do. I think this may be one of the easiest ways in which the enemy can trip us up these days. We may not be wild and doing horrible things, but there may be many good things that God desires for us that we are missing out on because we are simply not getting the message.

Rarely does God allow us to sit in our comfort zone. He seems to always be stretching us and pushing us to limits that we could never have imagined. This is all to the glory of God, because we are accomplishing and doing things only through his power and not through our own. Therefore if God is pushing us to a limit we may not have expected -- allow him to do so. Do not avoid what God may have placed before you because that may become a sin of omission. Not moving forward in our walk with him becomes sin for us. Powerful words -- but a strong reality.

 

Prayer


Lord, please help me to respond today to the challenges which you have placed before me. Amen.

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