Sins of Omission

Sins of Omission

What is a sin of omission?  Simply, its not not doing something we know (or believe) we should have done.  James 4:17 says: "Remember, too, that knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin."  Jesus calls us to a higher way of living.  I was reminded of this today by the 'Our Daily Bread' devotion I'll talk about more below....

Courageous in Love 

The Feb 22/2026 devotion in Our Daily Bread talks about a racial bullying situation at a school in North Carolina, and how one fellow felt he should support a new student to the school, but he did nothing.  This bothered him for decades and he eventually reached out to that student, 49 years later, to ask for forgiveness.  This fellow realized in the end, showing love and support for another human being isn't just about being brave;  its about making a choice to live like Jesus.

Reading about this immediately brought to my mind a similar situation I saw growing up.  I was between 8-9 years old, and our family had just moved to a new subdivision in town.  We caught the bus to school every day, and within the first week it was painfully obvious there was a brother and sister at our bus stop who were mercilessly bullied by kids there who were older and larger than all of us.

Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash

I distinctly remember the bus dropping us off after school one day, and watching the two of them run home crying and in fear because these heartless big bullies were again being mean, yelling, and throwing rocks at them.  

I didn't know what to do in that situation at that time.  I certainly could have stuck up for them, or told these bullies to stop.  It seemed better, however, to keep my head low and not 'rock the boat' as it were.  Self-preservation at the expense of my conscience.  I know now because I'm still bothered by that memory today.

SM + SM - if you are out there reading this today:  I'm so sorry and I apologize for not sticking up for you.  Will you please forgive me?  God, I pray that you would forgive me as well, and help me to be more courageous in love for others.

Persistent in Prayer

Another potential sin of omission I've been thinking about lately comes from the story of the prophet Samuel.  At the end of his life, he gives a farewell address to the people of Israel who he's been called to serve.  He says something quite interesting at the end of this address:  

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.

1 Samuel 12:23

This raises the question: "Who am I spiritually responsible to pray for?"  Samuel, in the context above, felt responsible for the people of Israel before God, and correspondingly felt it his duty to pray for them.

As a Dad, I feel spiritually responsible to pray for my family.  I try to do this consistently, and include the people in my circle of influence, but I am not as faithful in this as I'd like to be.  

Oh God, I pray for you forgiveness in area this as well.

Interestingly, Paul takes this idea a bit further, exhorting believers to 'pray at all times, with all kinds of prayer for all the saints.'  Ephesians 6:18.  Personally, I view this (at this point in my life) as an encouragement, rather than a command.  I find it very difficult given the different responsibilities I have during my workday to see how I can possibly accomplish praying 'at all times, with all kinds of prayer for all the saints' as a command.  

Daniel is the example I try to follow here.  He similarly had an 'outside' job that required him to think and attend to things besides prayer during his workday.  But he set aside time for prayer as well.