The Blame Game
The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Reflection of Bee:
There is a tendency for us to blame others when things go wrong. One subtle way of not taking personal responsibility is by saying "I am like that, can't be helped." or "I am a bad guy". These statements do not correct the wrongs that were done.
To take personal responsibility is to right the wrongs. One good example of this is Zaccheus, the tax collector. When Zaccheus followed Jesus he said, "if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." (Luke 19:8-10) That is to make restitution and restoration if we truly feel sorry for the wrongs we made.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding me not to blame others when things go wrong but to take personal responsibilities. I pray for grace and strength to do what is right to bring glory to Your name. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Reflection of Tommy:
Despite knowing its consequences, many Christians today still feel helplessly trapped in the bondage of sin. They also realized how the effects of their sin spread to those close to them. The first step to overcome sin is not by hiding from God, like Adam and Eve, but to recognize and confess them to God. Because of what Christ has done on the Cross for us, we can come to God in repentance, knowing God actively offers us His unconditional love.
But, repentance is not merely a thought but also an action. We need to begin making decision each day to take concrete steps to overcome, run (sometimes literally) and avoid things or situation that will lead us to sin. Pray daily for strength from God to resist all form of temptation and wisdom to discern areas of our lives that need to be changed. And finally, always remember Jesus is with us every step of the way!
Dear Father, thank You for teaching me once again not to blame others or situation for my wrongdoings. Teach me to ask the Holy Spirit to show any wrongdoing I may have- thoughts, desires, words, relationship, actions; and confess them to You. Lord, guide me then take step to truly repented from them and placing myself in Your hands in total obedience. Thank You Lord, for all these I ask in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
