Cost of neglect

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life . . . Ponder the path of your feet. – Proverbs 4:23,26

I read about a Detroit man who couldn’t find his house. He had gone to the right address but all he found was an empty lot. Completely baffled, he asked the Detroit Free Press to help him figure out what was going on. A newspaper reporter learned that not only was the house gone, but the deed to the empty lot was in someone else’s name.

What had happened? For one thing, a few years had passed since the homeowner had left the city without providing a forwarding address. In addition, he had failed to make arrangements for someone to keep the property in repair. So the house was torn down because a city ordinance called for the removal of neighborhood eyesores.

The homeowner’s neglect illustrates the practical truth of PROVERBS 24:30-34. Neglect leads to loss. This principle also applies to our daily walk with God. If we neglect our times of prayer and fellowship with the Lord, our relationship with Him will deteriorate and we will no longer experience His favor. We would never want that to happen, but we allow it when we become preoccupied with anything that comes between us and Christ.

We need to establish priorities that honor God. Then we’ll avoid the loss that comes from neglect. – Martin R. De Haan Ii

Unless we’re occupied with Jesus

And seek to do His will each day,

We’re sure to know the loss and sorrow

That comes when we neglect His way. – Anon.

READ: PROVERBS 24:30-34

If you shirk today’s tasks, you increase tomorrow’s burdens.