To Live is Christ — obedient

Once I talked to a group of young children about sin and the need for forgiveness. One wide-eyed five-year-old looked at me and said, “But I’ve never murdered anyone.”

Like so many, she defined goodness by what she didn’t do rather than what she did do. One pastor jokingly did the same by saying, “I don’t smoke, I don’t chew, and I don’t run with the girls that do.” Since more than half the commands in the Old Testament are negative and begin with “Don’t,” it is easy to see where this understanding comes from.

However, God is also interested in what we actually do, as well as what we don’t do. He says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).

That right thing could be something as simple as sensing His nudge to call a sick neighbor, or picking up someone else’s litter, or smiling at a grouchy store clerk. He says that failing to respond to that nudge to do right is sin — obviously the sin of disobedience.

That said, disobeying more complex commands seem easier to label with the ‘S’ word. God says to honor father and mother. Dishonoring them seems more like sin than failing to pick up the phone or not smiling at someone. God also says we are to love one another, strive for unity in the church, and give to the poor. Hate or apathy, arguing or scrapping, and stinginess sound a lot more like sin than the less obvious nudges previously mentioned.

While those biggies, like murder, adultery, and stealing seem obviously more harmful to more people, I don’t think God measures sin the same way we do. To Him, I’m either obedient or not. He does not measure in degrees as we do. When I step over the line, I have stepped over the line. The only grey areas are those created in my mind when I’m not sure of God’s will on a matter. When I am sure of what He asks of me, then the imperative is to obey it, no matter if it appears a big or small thing.

Former missionary, author and speaker, Elizabeth Elliott was asked how she got so much done and how she scheduled her day. She said, “I do the next thing. I almost always know what it is, so I just do it.”

I’ve found that to be true for most of my task organizing. I know what needs to be done, and usually know what to do first. When I get confused or unsure, this is often prefaced by disobedience. God had put a task in my head as the “next thing” but I didn’t do it. Because of that, I lose my way and my plans go askew.

Knowing what to do stresses the importance of staying alert to God. Without a listening ear, I cannot possibly know “the right thing” to do, never mind carry it out. However, when I stumble off the path of obedience and lose my way, yet God is amazing. He mercifully picks me up and guides me back on track. He cares that I know and do the right thing. He is also far more intentional than I am about keeping my life free from sin.