Doing What We Know is Right
07/30/2025
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
- James 4:17 (NIV)
We usually think of sin as something we commit, things like lying, stealing, hurting others. But James flips the script and introduces a sobering idea: sin can also be what we omit. When we don’t do what we know we should do, James says, that too is sin.
This verse speaks to the quiet moments of our lives. The times we feel that nudge from the Holy Spirit to act, speak, or intervene, and instead we remain passive. It’s not about moral ignorance, it’s about willful inaction. That phone call we didn’t make. The apology we refused to offer. The hungry family we passed by with full pockets. The encouragement we withheld. James reminds us that our responsibility doesn’t end with simply avoiding evil; it includes actively pursuing good.
There’s a story of a man named Carl who walked the same route to work every day. One winter, he noticed an elderly neighbor struggling to shovel her driveway. He felt a tug in his heart to help but was running late. “Tomorrow,” he thought. But the next day she slipped on ice and broke her hip. He visited her in the hospital, deeply convicted. She smiled and said, “Sometimes I wish someone had listened to God’s whisper.” Carl knew that whisper had been meant for him.
Omissions like these aren’t always dramatic, but they shape our character and legacy. God calls us not just to avoid the bad, but to do the good we already know is right.
Here are some things to help you on your journey.
Ask the Holy Spirit today: “What good do You want me to do?”
Follow through on that nudge you’ve been ignoring, make the call, send the message, lend the help.
Make it a habit to write down one good action each morning you’ll commit to doing that day.
Reflect at night: Did I miss any opportunities to obey today?
My challenge for you is this:
Don’t wait for the perfect moment, act on the good you know to do today. Even small acts of obedience echo through eternity.
Lord, forgive me for the moments I’ve ignored the good You placed before me. I don’t want to just avoid doing wrong; I want to actively do what is right. Give me courage to obey Your gentle nudges. Let me be someone who acts, who responds, who loves with hands and feet as well as with words. Open my eyes to see the good You’ve set before me today, and help me walk in it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Jeff
#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
- James 4:17 (NIV)
We usually think of sin as something we commit, things like lying, stealing, hurting others. But James flips the script and introduces a sobering idea: sin can also be what we omit. When we don’t do what we know we should do, James says, that too is sin.
This verse speaks to the quiet moments of our lives. The times we feel that nudge from the Holy Spirit to act, speak, or intervene, and instead we remain passive. It’s not about moral ignorance, it’s about willful inaction. That phone call we didn’t make. The apology we refused to offer. The hungry family we passed by with full pockets. The encouragement we withheld. James reminds us that our responsibility doesn’t end with simply avoiding evil; it includes actively pursuing good.
There’s a story of a man named Carl who walked the same route to work every day. One winter, he noticed an elderly neighbor struggling to shovel her driveway. He felt a tug in his heart to help but was running late. “Tomorrow,” he thought. But the next day she slipped on ice and broke her hip. He visited her in the hospital, deeply convicted. She smiled and said, “Sometimes I wish someone had listened to God’s whisper.” Carl knew that whisper had been meant for him.
Omissions like these aren’t always dramatic, but they shape our character and legacy. God calls us not just to avoid the bad, but to do the good we already know is right.
Here are some things to help you on your journey.
Ask the Holy Spirit today: “What good do You want me to do?”
Follow through on that nudge you’ve been ignoring, make the call, send the message, lend the help.
Make it a habit to write down one good action each morning you’ll commit to doing that day.
Reflect at night: Did I miss any opportunities to obey today?
My challenge for you is this:
Don’t wait for the perfect moment, act on the good you know to do today. Even small acts of obedience echo through eternity.
Lord, forgive me for the moments I’ve ignored the good You placed before me. I don’t want to just avoid doing wrong; I want to actively do what is right. Give me courage to obey Your gentle nudges. Let me be someone who acts, who responds, who loves with hands and feet as well as with words. Open my eyes to see the good You’ve set before me today, and help me walk in it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Jeff
#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign
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