Visiting several of our factories recently, I observed that we have more issues with people not doing what they should, than with someone doing something wrong.
I understand that it may be caused by the work load or lack of knowledge, but sometimes it is just negligence. Just omission.
This came to my mind when I was studying the book of Daniel and I noticed that when his colleagues were jealous of his success they looked for some reason to accuse him. But they found he was neither corrupt, nor negligent (Daniel 6:4). Isn’t that great? What would happen if we were scrutinized like Daniel?
As I paused to think about that, some other Bible verses started to come to my mind, like James 4:17 “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them”. Or you consider the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Doesn’t this put sin in a new perspective? Even when we think we don’t actively sin much, we have to consider the situations we should have done something, but didn’t.
Please make sure you don’t misunderstand me here, like the girl in the story below:
“On a particular day, a Sunday School teacher was lecturing about sin and the consequences that we have to endure because of it. So she asked her class, “Does anyone here know what we mean by sins of omission?”
A girl in the class replied: “Aren’t those the sins we should have committed, but didn’t?”
Okay, that is not what we are talking about. We want you to think about the situations when you could have helped someone, but didn’t… when you should have said something, but stayed quiet… when you should have…
We are God’s instruments to do good. It is our responsibility.
“… he was neither corrupt, nor negligent”