Don’t Let Those Sneaky Sins of Omission Catch Up To You

We tend to think of sinful behaviors as “what we have done wrong” and forget the “what we have failed to do”.  These “sins of omission” are less obvious and are easily overlooked.  They are harder to address because they can continuously simmer in the background, instead of taking place in the form of a one-time action or event.

Most of us would consider ourselves “good people”.   We don’t murder, steal, or commit other heinous crimes, and we try our best to be kind, watch our language, etc…  It is common today in our culture to feel that being a good person is enough, and something that we can feel esteemed about. 

There is no shortage of opportunity to compare our lives to those who have their own struggles, or to lives that are out of control.  We say, “At least I’m not as messed up as this guy”, or “look how crazy this chick is”… as we silently pat ourselves on the back.  Daytime talk shows and pretty much all of reality TV have become popular, at least in part because we can compare ourselves and think how not messed up we really are.

It is an easy and comfortable place to be.  However, as Christians, Jesus calls us to be much more.  In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus talks about how we will be judged at the end of the age.  We will be divided into two groups, one destined for eternal life with God and the other to eternal damnation.  Note that here the criteria for damnation did not involve what was done wrong, but what was not done at all.  It was the sins of omission that caught up with them.

We are commanded to love others as ourselves, and in actuality, MORE than ourselves.  Doing so is living by the example that Jesus set for us.  This is not a mere recommendation, but a requirement and a commandment.  If we want to spend eternity in glory with Jesus and have life to the fullest, then we must step it up when it comes to helping others, putting their needs first, and avoiding all selfishness on our own part.

This, of course, is impossible for us mortal beings to do perfectly, but we must try and do our best.  We must pray continuously to Jesus to provide His grace to even begin to do it right.  With his help, we can allow Jesus to live though us, and in such, we “must decrease as he increases” in how we present ourselves.  Think about ways that you can serve others in your everyday life.  There are probably many opportunities for good works that are readily overlooked.  Start now and turn sins of omission into loving acts towards others.