What might happen if you neglect the important things in life? What if you neglected the maintenance on your car? It just might leave you sitting somewhere unplanned. What if you neglected your health? Eventually, your body begins to break down if the mistreatment is severe enough. Or, what happens if you move into your new home and never repair or update a thing? The neglect will eventually cost you in the devaluation of your property or even costlier repairs. If you neglect your job, you will literally be working toward termination. Neglect your family and relationship issues will grow.
Why then do we feel it’s sometimes ok to neglect our spiritual lives? Could a very similar breakdown occur? When we neglect reading the Bible, our prayer life, sharing the love of God with others, giving of our resources and finances, fellowship with other believers or the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has deposited within each of us, eventually that disregard or inattention can create a permanent or severe atrophy spiritually. No wonder Jesus warned the Pharisees and us that giving a tenth was good but not to “neglect” the love of God and justice. The Psalmist declared, “I will not neglect your word” and Paul told Timothy to not neglect the gifts given to him. Neglect can be a spiritual disease that each of us battle.
Jesus suffered, as did many men and women of history. It was/is our Lord’s belief that something would be built in us as we would realize…For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! (II Corinthians 4:17)
Accountability is not a popular topic these days. We love our freedom and our independence to decide for ourselves without the restriction of someone “looking over our shoulder.” We can find it intrusive and cast it off as, “my business is my business.” The problem with that line of thinking is it’s truly un-biblical. Could you imagine Jesus saying, “Listen to my teaching and watch me heal the sick, but realize that my personal life is none of your business?” Or, how about if Paul the Apostle shared with the church in Corinth, “I am going to call out your sin, but you dare not call out mine?” We simply do not live as unto ourselves.
Author Gary Thomas once proposed this scenario, “You may opt for a divorce, but you cannot ever engage in sex again with anyone else for the rest of your life.” The obvious question that would follow would be just how many couples would actually divorce? Perhaps some women, but I am guessing very few men. I remember studying divorce and remarriage from every angle for our book, Called Together. We wanted to write what was biblically correct, while at the same time not provoke any unnecessary pain in those who have been through such devastation.
If the answer to the question of why there is evil in the world is found in the fall of man recorded in Genesis chapter three, then what could possibly change our evil heart? Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (17:9) Wow, “beyond cure” and who could possibly “understand it?” That could make us feel that we are without hope and our heart will forever be deceitful. But wait, there is an answer because, “…the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (I Chronicles 28:9) And the Psalmist, David, prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” Could that be possible and if so, how?
Far too many parents train their children to view mom and dad as having all power over them. We don’t necessarily try this, but somehow it comes across fairly often. For example, have you ever heard a parent say this, “Because I said so?” And then there is this one, “Just do this one more (fill in the blank) and then you can go and play.” Neither of these examples empowers your children; they actually train your child into thinking that you are more powerful and it’s that power they need to resign themselves to. I have news for you; the use of power is often void of relationship. One day that power will be resisted, tested or simply ignored. Where does it lead?
Have you ever asked or been asked the question, “Why is there so much evil in the world?” Or, have you been confronted by the person who wants you to defend your faith, all the while, claiming that if there truly were a “loving” God, humanity would not suffer as it does? I have also struggled to answer that question. But perhaps there is an answer, an answer that is very difficult to admit. An answer that is not so complicated and one in which you do not need to be God’s defense attorney.
Jeremiah said* that we didn’t listen, but rather followed the stubbornness of our own evil hearts. Isaiah said woe to those who call evil good and good evil, trying to be wise in their futile understanding. Jesus told us that out of our heart would come evil thoughts, murder, sexual immorality and other sins. He spoke these words, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:45, 46) There is no escaping it; you and I, along with each person asking the question, are to blame. What is being “stored up” in your heart today?
Sometimes I wish Jesus had picked an easier second commandment to follow like not worshipping idols. That would be really easy to do these days. I think it would provoke me to no end to bow down to a statue and thus, I would not suffer in my flesh or my emotions in obedience. He didn’t give us that option, however.
Thankfulness is a decision. On a recent trip outside of the country, I was talking to a lady who was undergoing chemotherapy. She told me how thankful she was for her health and her life. Her condition and her smile seemed incongruous, but thankfulness oozed from her spirit. Thankfulness made a difference in light of what she was suffering. I stopped to think about how a thankful spirit is so different from that of a critical one. In the Scriptures we are encouraged to give thanks at all times and I suppose she was fulfilling that verse literally, but beyond that she seemed genuinely happy and at peace.
Another idea might be to celebrate communion together as a family and together rejoice in what Christ has sacrificed for us. Perhaps you might want to even read the following verses together before you pray and give thanks to God for all of His blessings:
Steve Prokopchak 