Neglect: August 16, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 16, 2012

NEGLECT

DEFINITION:

Disregard; fail to carry out or perform; ignore; pay no attention to.

SCRIPTURE:

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." James 4:17

"How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Hebrews 2:3

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

James says in the above verse that when we know that something is the right thing to do and we do not do it, it is a sin. This is called a sin of omission. It is as much of a sin as a sin of commission, like lying, stealing and committing adultery, in God's sight.

We all face issues and situations in life that are difficult to deal with. It is tempting to just put off dealing with them or even to ignore them completely. Unfortunately, neither putting it off nor ignoring it will make the situation go away.

Sin is sin and whether we want to face it or not, we will be held accountable for our sins. This is not an issue to be ignored. All those who neglect to deal with their sin will be judged and punished. The punishment will be severe. We will be eternally separated from God. It comes down to where we will spend eternity. Unless we repent of our sins and accept God’s gracious gift of salvation the issue will not go away no matter how much we ignore it. The writer of Hebrews asks the question which you must ask yourself: “How will you escape if you neglect so great a salvation?” God does not accept any excuses for neglect.

One may only have one opportunity in life to accept God's salvation. We do not know what tomorrow holds. What we do know is that if you neglect to accept Jesus as your Savior, you will have to stand before the judgment throne without any excuse.

In I Timothy 4:14 the apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to neglect the gift that is in him, which was given him by God. We all have been given gifts that God expects us as believers to use for Him. Many never use their gifts as God expects them to do so.

Parents have the responsibility to, first of all, teach their children about God and Jesus so they can have the opportunity to accept Jesus as their Savior. Parents, also, must teach their children the difference between right and wrong. Children need to be taught so they know without any doubt what is good so that they understand that neglecting to do the right things in life is as much of a sin as doing the wrong thing.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

PRAYER

Give me the courage to face up to the sins in my life and the strength to deal with them and ask for forgiveness. Help me to be diligent in teaching my children about God and Jesus and how they can be saved. Help me to also teach them to be obedient to God’s commandments and do what is right.