I came to the realization the other day that my greatest sin of all is not the most obvious. It’s not so much what I do, but lack thereof. This is called sin of omission. I probably have felt more guilt, sorrow, and anger at myself at this type of sin than the more obvious kinds. I’m not saying I don’t sin in other areas. I do, and on a regular basis. However, I have found that in the recent years of drawing closer to my relationship with Jesus, that I’m not as caught up in the most typical areas of temptation. The devil, being the clever guy that he is has found a far more unique way to grab a hold of me. I find myself in this weird spot where I feel as if God has set a new standard for my way of living. See, the cat’s out of the bag. Everyone reading this knows I love Jesus; that I believe he is the truth, the way, the light and so on. But – even though I might sin less in certain areas before coming to Christ, I now sin each and every time I decide not to glorify His name in public or strengthen my own relationship with Him.
Please believe it. I’m not perfect. I know there has been plenty of “God talk’ on this blog by me in recent weeks and that a lot of my readers outside of my church family might think I’ve gone off the deep end by answering a call to adopt an orphan from the Ukraine. I realize that my recent posts might make you uncomfortable and you’re not sure how to handle them or what to say. That’s okay, it excites me. But as you read on I do ask that you not label me as one of those “Good Christians”. It is far from the truth.
I have been more transparent lately with my faith, but my sin of omission and sin in general makes me no better than anybody reading this, wherever you are in your walk with God. We’re probably alike in more ways than none. For starters, do you read the Bible on a daily basis? Honestly, ask yourself that question and answer it to yourself. It’s great if you answered yes, but if you answered no, you are not alone. I rarely dive into the Word on my own. I start and it lasts for maybe a few weeks but I’m back to where I began and I end up spending my evenings watching TV or playing video games. I’m not saying this to discourage you from getting yourself closer to God. I just want to make the point that even us Christians sin. But the difference from me and the non believer is that I refuse to keep letting my sin stop me from living my life and for His glory. I will sin until the day that I die, but at least I know that my sins were paid for on the cross and that even though I’m not perfect, that as long as I’ve accepted Him and confess these sins, that my life has purpose and that there are far more greater things out there than living on this planet and going through the motions. What is stopping you and your walk? What are you most afraid of? What do you have to lose? Honestly.
I pray tonight that God will give me the strength to go outside of my comfort zone and speak up at work about my faith when opportunities are presented, that I speak the truth to strangers when the time arises, and that I don’t conform and say nothing when the Lord’s name is taken in vain. These are my sins and I get nervous that if I don’t work on them I’ll only draw people further away from the truth.
As a Christian, this is our responsibility. Pray that I will take it more seriously.