THE BLAME GAME (1)

'...I am innocent...It is your responsibility!' Matthew 27:24

More and more, we are becoming a blame-oriented culture. Today our misfortunes are deemed to be somebody else's fault. 'I'm this way because of them. They did it to me.' And it didn't begin with us. It goes all the way back to Adam in the Garden of Eden when he told God, 'The woman...You gave...me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate' (Genesis 3:12 NKJV). It's in our DNA! We say the breakdown in our marriage was our partner's fault, or we drink too much because somebody drives us to it, or we're unwell because of the fast-food industry. Let's sue them! Shifting responsibility may alleviate momentary guilt, but it's a deadly game with no winners. In sentencing Christ to die, Pilate said, 'I am innocent of this man's blood...It is your responsibility!' He thought by dumping the blame onto the Jews he would avoid upsetting either his wife or his critics, and prove himself innocent. But the buck stopped at his desk! Understand this: God holds you responsible for your decisions and actions 'He will judge everyone according to what they have done'(Romans 2:6 NIV). And your failure to make the right decision, or take the right action, also earns you His guilty verdict. Paul writes, 'You cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant' (Galatians 6:7 NLT). Others may be guilty of offending you, and that's their harvest to reap. But your harvest depends on your reactions. Accepting responsibility before God is how you alleviate your guilt, discouragement and stress. Bible in a Year: Mt 5:7;  Mt 18:21-35;  Ps 103:8-18;  Lam 3:22-24;