A lady told me that God wasn’t going to ask what someone else did to me, for me to act in a certain way. He is going to keep me accountable for my action and not allow me to keep placing blame on others for my choices. We live in a society that teaches that we aren’t responsible for our actions. We live in a world that views people as victims. If murder is committed it isn’t the person’s fault; it is blamed on someone else. If somebody is unhappy it is someone else’s responsibility, not their own. If a person commits adultery it is their spouse’s fault, because they weren’t there for them. In America today we see court cases, politicians and civic groups placing blame on everything, and everyone under the sun. If you do wrong, the message is that it wasn’t your fault, someone else is to blame.
But that view is unbiblical and won’t hold water in God’s court. The Lord calls us to be responsible and to live life according to His Word. He desires us to live a life that is a light to the world, not shifting blame. Finger pointing will not due. How much time do we spend looking for faults in others, instead of clearing up our own mess? "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5) (ESV) As long as we look at the problems of others, and deny our own, we will not grow as a child of God. We need the help of God to show us a proper perspective on our fellow man and ourselves.
When it comes to church, do you expect others to serve you, or to do what you think needs to happen, instead of getting up out of your comfortable seat to make a change. Do you yell, “The leadership needs to… this ministry needs to… the preaching needs to…, instead of, I need to…” When we say the church needs to do something, we must remember that we are the church. It is not the responsibility of leadership to hold our hands and fulfill our needs. The body of Christ needs to work together; it doesn’t need more complainers, masking themselves as reformers. A reformer is one who initiates change with their own hands; a complainer looks to change the world by pointing out what’s wrong, and doing nothing, sitting around waiting for someone to fix it for them. We don’t need more committees, more ideas without action, more petitions, the church needs Christians to be disciples who are willing to put their hand to the plow, to be doers of the Word, not just listeners. A true disciple is one who follows so close that the dust of the Master’s feet gets on them. Are you willing to get dusty for your Master? Or will you sit around wondering when things are going to change?
Great article!
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