The sin of omission

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Living out lives as disciples of Christ requires a lot of us. We try so hard not to commit sin in the eyes of the Lord and men, but the truth is we often sin by omission. We do the wrong thing by not doing the right thing.

We pass up many opportunities to show Christ to others and thus do not bring glory to God in that situation. We don't show love, we don't bother ourselves with those in need, we don't get involved. We are all busy with our own lives and no one can blame us for that. Life gets busy. But when we find ourselves intentionally saying no when the Holy Spirit directs us, this act of disobedience is sin.

The life of a Christ Disciple is one of obedience. We must follow the call of the Lord, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. Granted, we will all fall short. No one can live up to the standards God has placed before us. This does not mean, however, that we should not seek to follow the Lord's prompting.

When we know what the right thing to do is, and we pass it up, we are not living in God's will. It is as much a sin to not do what is right as it is to do what is wrong.