Accepting Responsibility

January 2

Genesis 3-4

Psalm 2:1-6

Proverbs 1:5-6

Matthew 2

Accepting Responsibility

“Then the man replied, ‘The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ So the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:12-13 HCSB

Since the beginning of time, humans have never been very good at accepting responsibility for our actions. We are no different from Adam and Eve. We blame our parents for the way they raised us. We blame the circumstances of our past for our present lack of responsibility. We excuse our sins as character flaws and things we can’t change. (That’s just the way God made me.) Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) No matter what your past may have looked like, this is a new day, a new year. You cannot continue to blame others for the problems you are facing, or for your own sinful actions.

The past is in the past and there is nothing you can do to change it. God can and will use the things that have happened to you leading up to this point in your life to make you into the person He wants you to be. He did not cause the bad things to happen to you, but He can use them for His glory and your good if you allow Him to do so. If you choose to continue wallowing in self-pity or blaming others for your own poor choices, you will continue to reap the consequences. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (NIV) Let us be quick to accept responsibility and ask for forgiveness from God and anyone we might have hurt. “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” Acts 24:16 (NIV)