Neglect No More

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all."

1 Timothy 4:14-15

These verses were shared in the message preached yesterday at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  The points made were Timothy had a gift given by God, and he could also neglect this gift.  We are not entirely sure what specific gift of the Holy Spirit was being referred to, but Timothy and others knew it because it had been prophesied unto him with the laying on of hands of the eldership.  If Timothy knew what gift he had been given and could neglect it, it follows believers today who have received the Holy Spirit and gifts by His will can neglect our gifts as well.

To neglect suggests carelessness, to forbear proper use or responsibility of something.  We have seen neglected lawns overgrown with weeds and hedges untrimmed.  The neglect of houses due to clutter, rodent infestations, shirking of maintenance or lack of cleaning can lead to them being condemned.  Our bodies, relationships and businesses can suffer from neglect of doing what is necessary to take personal responsibility to maintain and improve.  Paul urged Timothy not to neglect the gift God had given him, meditating on what God had said, had done, promised to do, and to put sound doctrine into practice himself.

One primary way we can neglect things is to not use or take care of them.  The neglect of a gift always has negative results on other things:  the neglect of using my lawn mower leads to an overgrown lawn and a letter from the council; the neglect of using clippers leads to unkempt hair.  Because we are part of the Body of Christ the church, the neglect of the gifts God has given us for the edification of the church and the glory of Jesus has a negative impact on our service, ministry and purpose God gave us the gift in the first place.  God has given us His word, His Son, the Holy Spirit and guidance we ought to make use of every day.  Neglecting the reading and study of God's word leads to a world of neglect in countless areas of our lives today.

Spiritual gifts are not the only thing which can be neglected, for consider what is written in Hebrews 2:1-4:  "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ⁴ God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?"  It is possible to neglect the salvation provided all people by the grace of God through the Gospel.  People connect spiritual gifts with signs and wonders, and from the beginning God has already revealed Himself in miraculous ways to confirm His ability to save and deliver.  He gave Moses the ability to do signs to confirm the word of the LORD to Pharoah and the Hebrews, and God has sent Jesus Christ whom Moses spoke of who is the revelation of the almighty God who seeks to save the lost.

Believer, take time to consider and meditate on the fact you have been saved by grace through faith.  Having been redeemed of the LORD we await our ultimate salvation by our glorious entrance into the eternal state in God's presence.  Whilst we remain on earth let us not neglect the gift of God's word, His wisdom, the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the gifts God has graciously given us.  When we give ourselves entirely unto the LORD, denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus, we will be kept from the error of neglecting our salvation and spiritual gifts.  Our spiritual fruitfulness is not an indication of our goodness, but the faithfulness of our God who delivers and saves--Who through our witness provides salvation to others by the Gospel.