His One Mistake

I want to tell you a story about a man. We will call him Roy. Roy is like no telling how many millions of people you may run into every day. Roy is a very conscientious man. Roy is a very moral man. By most people’s accounts, Roy is a very good man. Roy wore his raincoat and carried an umbrella when it rained. He brushed his teeth twice a day with a nationally advertised toothpaste. The doctors examined him twice a year. He made sure to get plenty of fresh air. He stuck to a diet with low fat and plenty of fresh vegetables. He had his tonsils removed when he discovered that they were infecting his body. He played golf. He got at least eight hours of sleep every night. He never smoked, drank, or lost his temper. He exercised daily. He was set to live to be a hundred. Roy recently died. He is survived by eight specialists, three health institutions, two gymnasiums, and numerous manufacturers of health foods and antiseptics. Do you know what Roy’s mistake was? He forgot God.

Roy’s mistake is common. It is probably a mistake that some of you reading this article are going to make. But it is a mistake that can be corrected. Roy lived as if this world was everything, and is now with those who say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).

The Bible admonishes against forgetting God numerous times (Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:10-12; 8:11; Judges 8:33-35; Psalm 9:17; 50:22; 78:9-11; Jeremiah 3:21-22). Forgetting God is a serious decision. Sometimes even Christians forget about God. You see, a “halfway” or “leisure-time” or “Sunday morning” Christian is not a Christian at all (Deuteronomy 6:5; Psalm 119:2; Luke 9:62). It is as impossible for the soul to remain strong in faith and active in obedience without continued communication with God as it is for a clock to perform its duties without being regularly wound up.

Our Lord asked in Mark 8:36-37, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Of what use is it to care for and groom our bodies if we lose the only part that will never die? Remember Roy’s problem? He cared for and made just about every provision there was to make except the most important one. The Bible warns about the unprofitableness of sin and worldliness (1 Samuel 12:19-25; Proverbs 10:2; 24:20; Jeremiah 5:25; Luke 21:34; Colossians 3:2; Titus 2:12; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). Jesus probes at our one mistake: forgetting God. If you are making this same mistake, it is not necessary. Just about anytime we think of a mistake, we think of something that did not have to happen. However, for various reasons (or excuses), a mistake was made. Do not make the mistake of forgetting God! Repent and obey!

Kyle Campbell

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