Question 1

What can I do when I feel neglected?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 66:20Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.1 Peter 5:7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.While others may neglect us, God will never turn away from us. He promises to listen to each of us as we turn to him, and he extends his unfailing love to us at all times.Psalm 68:4-6Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.James 4:8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.We may feel worthless or unlovable when we are neglected, but we must not let these feelings cause us to withdraw from the One who truly loves us most. God can be trusted to keep his promise to never leave us.

Question 2

What are the signs of neglect? How do I know when I am neglecting someone?

Accepted Answer

James 2:14What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?If we are not doing anything to help or serve others, we are being neglectful. Christian love inspires us to serve and help others.Matthew 23:23“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”Sometimes our focus can become misaligned. We should ask ourselves, and others, if we are neglecting the things that are truly important.

Question 3

What are the consequences of neglect?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 21:13Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.Ecclesiastes 10:18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.Matthew 25:14-30“The servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, . . . I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”Neglecting our work and other responsibilities can be a sign of laziness. Neglecting those in need is a sign that we are not as passionate about serving God as we should be.Ecclesiastes 4:10If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.1 Thessalonians 5:11So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.Hebrews 10:25Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.Neglecting our relationships with other believers separates us from their encouragement and makes it easier to stumble in our walk with God. It also deprives others of our encouragement.

Question 4

How can I prevent neglect?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 25:31-46“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”Hebrews 12:15Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.Hebrews 13:1-3Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.We have many needs around us to be met, but we can begin by helping the people nearest us. After helping family and friends, we should move out to help those in our churches, our communities, and even around the world.Proverbs 22:6Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.Those who have children should diligently teach them the truths of the Bible and encourage them to put those truths into action.Hebrews 10:24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.One person cannot fulfill all the needs of all who are being neglected. We should encourage our church family to love and care for those in need.

Question 5

In what ways can I neglect God?

Accepted Answer

Nehemiah 13:11I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, “Why has the Temple of God been neglected?” Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.Hebrews 10:25Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.We neglect God when we neglect “meeting together” with other believers to worship him and to serve each other.Deuteronomy 17:20“This regular reading [of Scripture] will prevent him [the king] from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.”Matthew 7:26“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.”Hebrews 2:1We must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.James 1:23-25If you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.We neglect God when we ignore his word, the Bible.Galatians 6:7Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.Hebrews 2:3So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?We neglect God when we ignore his offer of salvation.James 4:17Remember, it is sin to know what we ought to do and then not do it.We neglect God when we ignore and don’t obey what we know to be right, rejecting God’s instructions to us.Proverbs 23:1While dining with a ruler, pay attention to what is put before you.Hosea 6:6“I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”Micah 6:8No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.Matthew 22:37-40Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”Matthew 23:23“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”We neglect God when we treat our relationship with him like a chore. Attending church and donating money, even if it shows self-sacrifice, is no replacement for desiring to know and love God more. If our faith does not lead to a greater love for God and others, we have neglected what matters most to him.Matthew 7:7-8“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”Ephesians 6:18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.Philippians 4:6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.1 Thessalonians 5:17Never stop praying.James 4:2You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.We neglect God when we stop talking to him.