Negligence
Concrete tends to harden for the first 50 years, after which it begins the journey of weakening. Currently, thousands of bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure complexes are in need of repair. Neglect keeps inspectors ever lowering the safe weight of vehicles crossing the bridges.
America is the product of an entrepreneurial spirit that pursues new adventures, new territories, new products, new buildings, etc. Money and planning are devoted to the future, as if the past will need no maintenance or repair. Time is now that neglect will cost billions of dollars in repairs. Many city water and sewer pipes have not been improved or replaced for 50 to 100 years.
Once I met a couple from West Virginia. They had been in the act of separation when he was diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized in UVA Hospital for a bone marrow transplant. The wife came and literally slept on the floor beside her husband’s bed. They were reconciled. She waited on him as a nurse, nothing lacking, for several months until he was discharged with a positive future.
Then they went home and divorced. I was stunned to receive the news. How could she have served him so diligently -- giving up her job, spending into debt, and leaving children with kinsfolk? She turned from divorce, to love, only to follow through with divorce?
With time to reflect and talk with professional counselors I came to understand that serving someone in a time of need does not correct problems or prove love. Some folks just like to help in crises. Some folks feed off crises. They are at their best in crises. Normal day-to-day activities are not deserving of high energy. There is no room for heroism and vanity in doing the normal things that need to be done to sustain a normal and healthy life. Folks who neglect duty fail to understand that taking care of the normal is basic maintenance of life.
A friend had a Chevrolet that lasted almost 500,000 miles. It was not a remarkable car, just normal. However, as a mechanic, he serviced the car regularly using the highest grade of oil and fluids. He would often say, “You have to take care of a car, if you want it to last.”
Life needs care. I talked with a man today and asked him about his spiritual life. His answer was: “To be truthful my family has simply been too busy with priorities to set our values in order and do what we ought to do. We should be in church.”
Neglect? Ride around. Take a look. Do not be critical, but think and prepare your heart. Do you see a house, lawn, building, car, or piece of property that has been neglected? Can you imagine a little bit of tender loving car devoted to improvement?
Maybe mowing a yard or field, a gallon of paint, just pulling some weeds, or planting a bush or tree would change the appearance of a piece of property. The idea is not to be a critic of others, but learn to think about the cost of neglect.
Move beyond bridges, buildings, yards, houses, and think about people. Now think about yourself. Where are you in life? What are your goals? What are your intentions? What will you do with the rest of your life that will honor Jesus Christ? What will you do to deserve “Well done” when this life is past?
What needs to be thrown away? What needs to be stored? What needs refinement? What needs help from others and help from the Lord?
When every knee bows before the Almighty God to give confession that Jesus is Lord, I think sinners will be divided into two groups. One group will be those who sinned in ignorance. They just never knew what was right. No one shared the gospel with them.
The other group will be those who knew about Jesus, even made a half-hearted confession of repentance, but they just neglected to be careful about their daily walk of faith. They neglected to pray, read their Bible, and do the work of God.
Unfortunately, it will not matter whether ignorance or neglect was the critical factor: BOTH WILL LOSE THEIR SOULS FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND BE CAST INTO OUTER DARKNESS FOREVER. Please, my friend, do not neglect your salvation.
With Much Love and Longing for You to Know Jesus as Your Lord and Savior,
Pastor Bare
Hebrews 2:3