Once we neglect our faith

     As I've said before, my dogs are funny.  Yesterday we were out in the front yard.  I was pulling weeds and they were "sniffing" everything.  That's their job.  Suddenly out of the bushes came the "croak, croak" of a frog.  This mystified them and they cocked their heads from side to side because they couldn't see the frog.  That's the frog's job.  After a few moments the frog stopped and the dogs went on to chase imaginary noises in the bushes and to do their business.  So, with weeds lining my driveway and iris bulbs and other plants ready to be planted I went on to do other stuff.  The dogs neglected to chase a squirrel and I neglected to finish my job of planting.  That's my job.  We all have jobs where we neglect what seems like the real focus of those jobs.  Eve and Adam neglected to obey God.  Lot's wife neglected to obey God.  The list reads like a who's who in the Bible as we unveil the Old and New Testament stories.  The neglecting we do has all kinds of excuses attached to them.  In the end, they are all just excuses.  Or are they?  If we look at the neglect area alone, we will recognize nothing.  When we look at the consequences then the picture gets quite different.
     The damage from neglect is unfixable.  There is a finality in our neglecting that can never be retrieved.  The innocence of simple faith and simple obedience gets mucked up with all the superfluous garbage of the world.  Soon, we find ourselves neck deep in water similar to those who laughed at Noah.  To late, sorry.  The Egyptians found out too late that they couldn't defeat God.  There were many who were very surprised when the walls and the city of Jericho fell to the ground by simple obedience of Joshua and the Israelites to the instruction of God.  The greatest neglect is our "neglecting such a great salvation."  The Bible is clear that those who neglect the need of their soul will spend eternity in hell.  The cries of the lost, those who neglected God, will be lost in the torment of hell forever.  Neglect has it's consequences.  Should we neglect attending to our faith, we will fall.  Perhaps not to a state of apostasy but certainly to a place where the blessings of God cannot be enjoyed.  Replacing the joy of God with the joy of the world only neglects the blessings of being saved by the Lord.
     Should I neglect pulling weeds, my garden will be overcome with them and the beauty of the garden will be diminished or even eradicated.  Should I neglect the care of what God has entrusted me with regarding my home and property that too will be diminished and eventually decay and fall apart.  Should I neglect exercise my body will become weak and unable to function as God intended.  Should I neglect restricting eating and drinking what I'm allergic to, my body will suffer.  Should I fail to read the Word and pray, my faith will become weak and the blessings of God will taper off.  Should I neglect my relationships with family, friends, work and enemies my witness will become thin if not invisible.  Should I focus my life on the world instead of God my faith will represent the world and not God.  Should you do so, the results will be the same.  It's always your choice.