“Therefore
to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
(James 4:17, KJV).
Recently, I saw an
inspirational video on a social media site that shows a few touching scenes of
people seeing other people in need and helping them. Such messages that should
inspire us to do good to our neighbors often seem to fall on deaf ears. How
many of us walk away unchanged, maybe even unmoved by the message? We hear
about our next door neighbor in need and make the excuse someone else will help
them. What if no one does, or if someone else does, you miss out on the
blessing? We never stop to at least go over to our neighbor and offer them
help, whether financially, physically, or emotionally. Maybe a fellow co-worker
just got laid off work and has a wife and a couple children to take care of. Do
you call him and ask how he is doing? How willing are you to help him
financially, while he is looking for work? How about that homeless man you see
every day on the side of the road on the way to work? “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good,” knowing the right thing
to do speaks of responsibility; “and
doeth it not,”
rebelling against doing what is right speaks of disobedience; “to him it is sin.” Not doing good in
helping your neighbor is sin.
