Negligence

2 Chronicles 29:11

My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.

When we came home from our eventful, two-week Manila vacation last week, we were surprised to find our water supply cut off. Imagine giving such news to a housewife while she was unpacking the family’s laundry :< And we had to endure it for three days! To cut the long story short, the supposedly stewards of the house we’re renting, to whom we’re paying our share of the water bill, spent the money somewhere else. For the supply to be cut off implies two months of non-payment. For it to be reconnected, and because we wanted it back asap, we had to take it from our own pockets. What saddens us more is that they never answered our calls, never came to their doors when we sought for explanations. They left us no choice but to inform the owner last night when she called.

Negligence. Google defined it as failure to use reasonable care, resulting in damage or injury to another. In today’s text, it was the priests and the Levites not standing before God to serve in His temple. Actually, it was more like ‘not making a stand’ for God when all Judah and its previous kings were rampant in their sin, even shutting the temple doors. It may be that they were fearful for their lives, or they soon gave up their zeal for lack of visible fruits, or worse, they stopped caring at all. Regardless, God’s punishment of war and captivity came upon all Judah, young and old, partly because they failed to do their part. Praise God for raising up the godly Hezekiah to put a stop to their indifference. What is amazing is his God-like graciousness, gently calling them ‘sons’ and reviving their hearts to serve God anew.  

It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Even in agriculture, God gave laws that a man on duty must make restitutions for carelessness.  If it’s your animal, mind it, if it’s another’s money, safekeep it. If we’ve been given and we accepted responsibilities, follow through. Don’t accept other invitations if it’ll affect your first commitment. Don’t allow laziness and distractions at your door. Even if your boss is not around. Especially when your boss is not around! That is stewardship. For He will sure return. And when He finds us neglecting and abusing our post, Luke 12:46 say, ‘He will cut (us) to pieces’.  So let's get back to work guys!