Yesterday, Jeff Bagwell, Ivan Rodriguez and Tim Raines were all voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As exciting as it is for those three players, many others on the ballot were not deemed worthy of enough votes from the national baseball writers this year.

Guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were two of the best players in their era…and maybe ever…but being associated with steroids has prevented them from receiving enough support.

Each media member with a vote must make their own decision on how to handle the success of players during the “steroid era.” Interestingly, Bill Livingston, a columnist from The Plain Dealer, stated in an article this week:

“I had a 2017 ballot. I returned it signed, but blank, with an explanatory note. I’m not voting again until baseball decides what to do about the elephant in the room, the so-called steroid era….Until they decide what to do about the stain on the game, I abstain.”

By choosing to omit his vote, Livingston is neglecting his responsibility as a voter. Although there’s valid reasoning behind his decision, when asked to do something, he did not follow through. He said “no thanks” to the opportunity to vote for the candidates.

Whether Livingston’s decision is right or wrong, this mentality of neglecting often creeps into other areas of our lives. Daily situations arise when we know what we should do, and instead choose not to. These are called “sins of omission.”

When God calls us to do something good or moves our hearts in a certain direction, and we say, “no thanks” or “I don’t want to,” we are choosing to be disobedient and neglecting what we know is the right thing to do.

The Bible puts this very simply in James 4:17 (ESV): “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

God desires for us to follow His will, and has great things for us to do for His glory. When we clearly know we’re supposed to do something right, but decide to turn the other way, we’re missing out on tremendous blessings and opportunities.

As followers of Jesus, it’s not just about saying no to the wrong things but also saying yes to the right things. Today, let’s not omit ourselves from being obedient. Instead, let’s choose the good things He has available for us. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray that I would clearly hear You lead me toward good things and take full advantage of the opportunities you place in front of me. I pray I would not be disobedient by resisting Your will and failing to do what I know I should do. Please forgive me for the situations where I’ve said no to you, and please give me the strength to follow You wherever You want me to go. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.