Responsibility

I was recently reminded that people no longer want to take responsibility for their actions. It's been a while coming, but the fact remains that taking responsibility for the things you say and do has become a distant memory. I'm not sure when it began, really, but for the younger generations they've never had to. Parents would rather confront teachers about the teachers being wrong when they are contacted by the school over something their child has done. It's the teachers fault when a child fails a test. It's a principal's fault when a child is suspended from school. It's the other child's fault when a child hits a classmate. It's never the child's fault or responsibility. That teaches that child that they have no responsibility.

But, it's just not our children and school. People no longer have to take responsibility for being a drunk: it's not their fault, they have a disease called alcoholism. Drug addicts are no longer responsible for being addicts: it's a disease. Thiefs are no longer responsible, it's cleptomania, a disease. Violent offenders are no longer responsible, they were abused as children. Murderers are no longer responsible, they had a bad childhood.

We've become a society where no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. Let me tell you something about being a drunk: no one forces them to pick up the bottle. No one forces the drug addict to put a needle in their arm. And the funny thing about those people is when they quit drinking or drugging, they didn't go to a hospital. There were no doctors involved. They simply decided to quit drinking and taking drugs. No medical intervention, at all. So how were they not able to quit one day before? It's not a disease, it's a character flaw. When we made being a drunk something they weren't responsible for by calling it a disease it gave them an excuse to not quit. They had no control? Bull!! How did they gain control 24 hours later? They made the choice to quit just as they had made the choice to open the bottle the day before.

I was physically abused as a child. Did I become a violent offender? No. Why not? Because what my father did to me has no bearing on how I act as an adult. It's my choice. I chose to not be a violent offender. I chose the path of peace. Yes, my childhood was difficult, but that has nothing to do with how I choose to live my life as an adult. I chose to live my life different and better than that. It's not my father's fault how I live my life today and my mother is not responsible for what I do today. It's my life, my behavior, my responsibility. When I stand before God, He is not going to call my mother and father to my side in order to reward me or pass judgment on me. I have to answer for me, not them.

Do you think God will accept the sinner saying it was the devil's fault for them being a sinner because the devil made sin fun or enjoyable? No! Being a sinner is a choice. Not accepting Jesus is a choice. It's not Adam's fault if someone chooses to not accept Jesus. It's not their parents responsibility if they don't choose Jesus. I think we somehow think if we can say everything wrong with us not our fault we can sneak into heaven without accepting the salvation that Jesus offers us. It won't happen. We are responsible for ourselves. For our choices. For our actions. For our behaviors. No one else. Nothing else. Only us.

Even those kids who have been raised by parents who refuse to allow their children to be responsible will still be held accountable for their own actions when they stand before God. They won't be able to claim that it's their parent's fault. When we reach the age of accountability, it will be only ourselves who will face the responsibility. There will be no leniency by claiming it's not our fault.

Surrender All

We love to sing the song, "I Surrender All," but how many of us really, truly surrender all? I look at the rich man who has a seven figure bank account (that's at least $1,000,000) and a portfolio that's worth 6 figures (that's at least $100,000) and I question if that person has truly surrendered all.

Surrendering all means that you give everything you own, everything you do, everything you are to God. A huge bank account, a stock portfolio, all the trappings that go with having that kind of wealth is an indicator that that person has not surrendered all. And I can tell you that person is not relying on God to supply their need. How can I say that? Because they have a huge bank account. And let me say this, because this is biblical: Jesus said for us to give everything we have to the poor and follow Him. Jesus never told anyone to stockpile wealth and goods. Yes, He wants us to prosper as our souls prosper, but He wasn't talking about the prosperity of having huge bank accounts and stock portfolios.

Believing for God to meet your need is when you have absolutely nothing and you rely on God to give you what you need. Having a huge bank account means you are relying on yourself and what you've put into the bank to provide your need. Surrendering everything to God means you give up everything of value to help those who are in need. Because God uses His children to provide the need of those who are in need. Yes, God could speak whatever it is someone's in need of and it would be there. But He chose to use His children to do it because that shows Him that the ones who have are willing to give it away by surrendering it to Him and He will direct them where to bestow it.

The 'prosperity gospel' is a lie from the deepest pits of hell. That's pure, unmitigated greed. And greed is a sin. If someone handed me $20 billion dollars today, I'd be broke by the end of the week. Why? Because I know when God blesses me with something, He wants me to share that blessing with those who are in need. That's my sowing. Yes, I'm allowed to keep some of it for my needs, but He didn't give it to me for me to put it in the bank, He gave it to me so I could help others. When you hide the money in the bank, it's not helping anyone. To me, it loses it's value when it's just a number on a bank statement or on a portfolio. That's just a number. The true value of it is when it is used to help someone.

Saying you surrender all and actually surrendering all are two completely different things. And your words lose meaning when you say you have surrendered all but you have a 7 figure bank account or a 6 figure portfolio.