Do you think more about avoiding wrong or doing right?
Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Mark Batterson (In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day)
For most of my life I thought God was mostly about what I shouldn’t do. He was the cosmic source of Thou Shalt Not’s.
I no longer see Him in that light.
I think we’re all clear that some behaviors simply aren’t acceptable, and they’ll get in the way of my relationship with God. But frankly, it doesn’t take much faith to avoid doing things that most folks know are wrong anyway.
I think God wants us to do a lot more than just skip the bad stuff. I think He wants us to step out in faith and do good stuff, amazing stuff, outrageous stuff. Jesus didn’t tell His disciples to sit quietly and do nothing wrong—He told them to follow Him on the most dangerous, life-changing journey imaginable. I think that’s His invitation to us as well.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this as I wonder whether RICH’S RIDE is really what God wants me to do. I’ve thought about it, prayed about it, asked wise friends about it, and I’ve reached the conclusion that I probably can’t know absolutely, positively, 100% for sure. That’s why it’s called “stepping out in faith.”
I’ve been pondering one of Scripture’s elemental verses:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
Frequently we focus on the “good” part, the idea that everything will work out for good. But I’m struck by the fact that it’s God’s job, not mine, to make that happen.
So I’m thinking that He’s asking me to seek guidance and do my best to determine His will, then to step out boldly and confidently and DO something, trusting that He’ll cause it to work for good. It’s His job, not mine.
When I don’t do anything, when I sit back in fear, I commit a sin of omission. I pass up an opportunity to trust God.
I’m thinking that’s worse than any of the Thou Shalt Not’s we worry so much about.
What’s your take on the notion of “sins of omission”?
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