Mr. James Haliday excerpt from Quiet Time Companion. To him who knows the good to do and does not do it, it is sin” (James 4:17).
It goes about talking about how we tend to focus on sins of commission, the wrongs we do, rather than sins of omission, the good we fail to do.
But in Christ’s Bible, when someone was condemned, it was not over his sin of omission. A man was to put out of a wedding because he had no wedding garment. That was Matthew 22:12. And five virgins were executed from the wedding party because they had no oil in their lamps (Matthew 25:3-11). And a servant who buried his talent in the ground instead of using it for profit was condemned. That rich man failed to care for his neighbor was condemned for it (Luke 16:19-24). And a barren fig tree that failed to produce fruit was cursed and died (Mark 11:20-24).
You say, “But I’m interested in a deeper spiritual life.” Well, a deeper spiritual life is one spent doing good for others. And the basis on which you’ll be judged and rewarded is based on what you do for others. “And the king will say, ‘I was hungry and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me to drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison and you didn’t visit me.’ Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick in prison?'” And he will answer, “I tell you the truth. When you refuse to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you’re refusing to help me” (Matthew 25:41-45).
So then, when you have the chance to do good, do it. This is just my opinion about the idea of doing good. Of course, Jesus was on earth and he did good, and it was the will of God that he came to do the will of the Father.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING TODAY: 1 Kings 18:1
“The word of the Lord came to Elijah saying, ‘I will send rain on earth.’ Three years earlier, God told Elijah to announce that there was a severe drought coming. As a result, it was all people talked about. And the God told him to announce that rain was coming, and they should prepare for it.”
“Understand this, unless you learn to tune your ear to hear what God is saying, you will be ready for what life throws at you. God can tell you when to save, when to sow, when to buy, when to sell, when to come to the table, and when to work. In your ears, he will hear the word. When you’re saying, ‘This is the way,’ walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
I specifically love this passage, you know, because there are rough times that are coming on the face of the earth. And you know, we’re going to have people that will be agitated, people that will be fearful. And I think that one of the things that people can be reminded of is that we can, like, tune in our ears to hear from God, what he has to say about a specific situation. So, when we’re doubting, when we’re worried, or in stress. And I think this is why I really love the word of God, because you can always hear from God. And the voice of God is calm, is assuring. Even if you want, he’s gentle and assuring.
And he says that, “But Satan can also speak to you and tell you things like, ‘You’re going bankrupt, you’re going to die, you’ll never succeed. Nobody loves you.’ And you’ll never hear that from God. Despite what you’re hearing around you or within you, you must believe God’s faithfulness and trust him to fight for you.”
“Knowing he would soon be crucified, Jesus prayed, ‘Father, glorify your name.’ And a voice from heaven came saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people stood by and heard it and said that it had thundered. That’s John 12:28-29.”