Sunday, July 28, 2013

Not My Fault

Not My Fault
July 29, 2013
Romans 14:12  "So, then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God."

It is easy to blame someone else; it makes us feel better to pass the buck.  We like to justify our actions until it seems right in our own eyes.  We can lie to ourselves and convince our own minds that what we are doing is the right thing.  But deep down inside, if we are honest with ourselves, we know who is to blame for some of our problems.  While it is easy to say it is not our fault, it is still our responsibility if our actions prove we were involved.  People have been trying to pass the blame since the beginning of time.  Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?  Adam was quick to tell the Lord that his wife was the one who gave him the forbidden fruit.  He said it wasn't his fault.  The Lord is not fooled, however; He knows everyone's actions and everyone's heart.

The older brother of Moses, Aaron, should have known better than to try and pass the blame.  Remember that Aaron was the mouthpiece for Moses.  Aaron was with Moses at every turn during the Lord's miracles.  Aaron witnessed the Lord's power first hand and had proof that the Lord was to be feared.  If anyone should have respected the Lord's instructions and commands, it should have been Aaron.  But Aaron, like Adam in the Garden, was quick to pass the blame even when caught in the act, red-handed.

When Moses was up on the mountain top meeting with the Lord, the Isrealites were left unattended.  Well, they were left with Aaron in charge.  Moses was gone a long time so the Israelites told Aaron to make them a god, in order to worship it.  Aaron instructed them to turn over all their gold to him and he would make them a golden calf to worship.  He did so, producing a graven image to bow down and worship, telling them it was their god.  Moses came down the mountain to see the Israelites worshipping the golden calf and was shocked at the sight.  He confronted Aaron about it, enraged with disgust.  Listen to Aaron's response.  "You know how prone these people are to evil.....so I threw [the gold] into the fire and out came this calf."

Wow, talk about shifting the blame for Aaron's own sin.  He blamed it on the crowd and blamed it on the fire, but he alone was responsible for overseeing the production of the golden calf.  He basically said it was everyone's fault but his own.  You and I do this same thing.  We find others to blame in order to justify our own actions.  We blame our circumstances, our spouses, our parents, our friends---everyone but ourselves.  We are the only ones who are going to be held accountable for our actions, no matter who put us in the situation.  We WILL be held accountable; it is just a matter of time.

Our accountability will be before the Lord some day and no one will be standing by your side when you give your side of the story.  Your spouse and your friends will not be there.  The Lord will ask you what happened and you will not be able to tell Him it was not your fault. He sees passed your lies and knows what is in your heart.  He will not be fooled by your response.  No amount of smooth talking will convince the Lord when you've been caught in the act.  You can lie to yourself all you want but the Lord will bring it all to light one day.  It is time to start taking responsibilty for your actions.  Everything you do is your fault, even if you'd like to believe that others have led you to it.  You can choose this day who you will serve.  You will either obey the Lord's instructions or not.  There is no middle ground.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Gen 3:12, Ex 32:1-25, Josh 24:25, 1 Sam 16:7, Ps 33:13, Pr 21:2, Daniel 7:9-10, Rom 14:10-12, 2 Cor 5:10

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