Friday, May 21, 2021

Left Undone

 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

(Eph. 2:10, NKJV).

 

We are to accomplish all the good works, big and small, that God has prepared for us. This is our purpose, why we were created. Unfortunately, sometimes we fail to do the good things we should do. For example, we may not pray for others as we should (see 1 Sam. 12:23); we may hold onto bitterness and not forgive someone (see Matt. 6:15).  Maybe we’ve felt a prompting to give and meet a certain need, but we haven’t followed through. Perhaps we have a conviction to witness to someone, yet we’ve held back.  Maybe we know we should be serving at church or somewhere else but we make excuses instead.  We need to realize that these omissions are sin to us.

 

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

James 4:17 (NKJV)

 

Someday, we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of our lives, what we’ve done and what we’ve failed to do (2 Corinth. 5:10).  That should motivate us to follow the Lord’s leading and be obedient to do all that He calls us to do.  Besides, to live each day with a clear conscience and without regrets is a true blessing. 

 

It isn’t the thing you do, dear,

It’s the thing you leave undone,

That gives you the bitter heartache

At the setting of the sun;

The tender word unspoken,

The letter you did not write,

The flowers you might have sent, dear,

Are your haunting ghosts at night.

 

The stone you might have lifted

Out of your brother’s way,

The bit of heartfelt counsel

You were hurried too much to say;

The loving touch of the hand, dear,

The gentle and winsome tone,

That you had no time or thought for,

With troubles enough of your own.

. . .

For life is all too short, dear,

And sorrow is all too great,

To allow our slow compassion

That tarries until too late.

And it’s not the thing you do, dear,

It’s the thing you leave undone,

That gives you the bitter heartache,

At the setting of the sun.*

 

*Poem attributed to Adelaide Proctor and printed in “Streams in the Desert” by L.B. Cowman (July 30th).

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