neglect vs caring

Have you ever noticed that there are some systems you just cannot beat? As silly as these may seem, here are some examples; 1) if you do not wash your sheets often enough they get stained by grime and you can’t wash it out, 2) if you put damp towels in the clothes hamper and you live in a humid climate, mold and mildew grow, 3) if you do not keep up with the weeds in your yard they take over . . . and the list goes on and on. If we neglect our daily maintenance of the things of this life, we make our work harder.

The term that came to mind while thinking on these things is “neglect.” Neglect is a term used in the New Testament in admonitions not to neglect the gift that is within us (1 Tim 4:14) and not to neglect our salvation (Heb 2:3). God does not neglect us, and He asks us to not neglect, or make light of, what He has given us.

In the Old Testament there are other words that accurately describe neglect; the sluggard and the slothful (used interchangeably). The slothful seem to make up excuses that enable them to do nothing, take it easy, or fear to take action. In Proverbs 26:13 we read “The sluggard says, ’There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!’” This man has talked himself out of going anywhere, and actually shrinks back from following what is right. The sluggard cannot beat the system of fear binding him to his own thoughts, therefore defeating his faith; so he goes nowhere.

The sluggard also neglects to do what is needed in the right season, such as plowing his land in order to plant seed (Prov 20:4). Instead of getting food from good efforts at the end of the harvest, one would note that the sluggard’s field is full of weeds and thorns, and the walls that were meant to protect his field are falling down. This sluggard cannot beat the system of sowing and reaping, and therefore ends up in want.

We see the example of both care and neglect set into nature, and therefore know this about God’s nature; He maintains and cares for things and people, and is teaching us to be like Him. To care is to be like God.

God’s caring goes beyond observing maintenance guidelines. He tests that which He uses to make sure He is using good material. We can be sure that what God builds with will last an eternity. Not only does the Lord want us not to neglect our gifts and our salvation, but He wants us to be careful about what we build with. If we have the same sluggish, dull heart in us as the slothful man, though we believe in God, we will not gain the victory over fear and love of our own thoughts. Even worse, we may not feel the importance of all that God has committed to us.

Ezekiel was sent to spiritual leaders who did not spiritually maintain those walls protecting God’s people. They “daubed” the walls with “untempered mortar” or untested material (Ez 13:15). These leaders led God’s people to have a false sense of peace when they needed to take action and repent of their sins. Their walls did not protect God’s people in times of testing because they were not built with good materials. So also the Apostle Paul tells us that we need to build with good materials (1 Cor 3:10-15). The materials that have no value are found in thinking we are wise according to the world’s standard (1 Cor 3:18-20). Both the spiritual leaders of the Old Testament and the Christians of the New Testament have and will be found neglectful of spiritual maintenance if they value their own thoughts above the Lord’s thoughts. In Ezekiel’s example we see that God’s people were open to ruin. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we see that those who built poorly lost all they built and had nothing to show for their labors.

To maintain, or not neglect, our yard and our clothing we can easily put physical disciplines into our lives so as to avoid mold and mildew, grime, and a yard full of weeds and thorns. What advice do we have about correcting spiritual neglect? In Hebrews we read “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Heb 2:1) Careful attention . . . caring about and paying attention to God’s words. “Be diligent . . . watch your life and doctrine closely . . . persevere . . . “(1 Tim 4:15-16). Let spiritual discipline cause you to monitor yourself for progress, and weed out all error. “ . . . be careful how (you) build.” (1 Cor 3:10). Do not take short cuts, using untested thoughts or actions, but use the sure material God gives you. Set aside your own thoughts and wisdom for the Lord’s.

The opposite of neglect is caring, and we find ourselves in His nature when we are caring. Let us encourage one another today to care, and if anyone is found to have stumbled into neglectful thoughts and behavior, restore them in the Lord. Amen