Digging Deeper – November 10, 2023
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 4:17 (NLT)
No Excuses
In the Bible, there are sins of commission where we willfully engage in behavior that we know is wrong. There are also sins of omission. We commit these sins when we know the right thing to do but don’t do it. In almost every case, we have a “perfectly good excuse” for not doing the good we should have. A car insurance company provided some excuses drivers have given for getting into accidents where it was clearly their fault:
“The other car collided with mine without warning of its intentions.”
“A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.”
“Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”
“I glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.”
“The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run, so I ran over him.”
While these excuses are humorous, they show how prone we are to evade responsibility for our wrong actions. James tells us that, like errant drivers, Christians who do not obey the Bible are full of excuses. But no good reason exists for doing something wrong when you know what is right.
PRAY:
Lord, help me do the good that I ought when the situation and circumstance arises. Don’t let me give in to procrastination or think someone else will do it. Amen.
Steve Roach serves as Pastor of Spiritual Growth for NorthStar Church. He lives in Acworth, Ga., with his wife, Amy, and his four children.
