[You] have left undone the weightier matters.
—Matthew 23:23
When we come to the close of a year, we often come up with a few give-this-up resolutions: I resolve to quit this; I resolve not to do that.
That’s good. But be reminded that some of our worst offenses aren’t in what we have done but in what we have left undone.
The daily news scorches the scoundrels who have done what they ought not to have done. But Jesus more often called attention to the sins of those who left undone what they ought to have done:
- the priest and Levite who passed by on the other side.
- the rich man who allowed the beggar to lie helpless at his gate.
- the servant who buried the talent entrusted to him.
Resolve to avoid what you should not do—
and to put mind and muscle in what you should do.