‘The wise are glad to be instructed.’ Proverbs 10:8 NLT
If you want to walk in God’s blessing, stop making excuses and take responsibility for your life. The Bible says, ‘The wise are glad to be instructed… fools fall flat on their faces.’ The ability to accept responsibility is a sure sign of character and maturity. More importantly, God can’t restore you until you acknowledge and turn away from your sin. Nowhere in Scripture does God excuse our sin because of someone else’s behaviour. The Bible says He will ‘repay all people as their actions deserve.’ (Proverbs 24:12 NLT)
While you keep blaming other people, you never reach the place of honest responsibility—where real transformation begins! Ultimately blaming others and trying to shame them into change is a game that’s just a waste of time. It might make the other person feel guilty but it won’t change anything. However it will keep the spotlight off ourselves and what is causing us to experience anger and frustration. Until we turn the light of Jesus on our own behaviour, we won’t succeed in lasting change within.
Blaming others is all too often just a way of avoiding the truth about ourselves. Jesus said that knowing the truth will set you free (see John 8:32). It may make you very uncomfortable at first, but it’s the thing that will truly liberate you. And hiding from it doesn’t make it go away. In fact, until you’re willing to face your mistakes, you’ll keep having problems. Is that really how you want to live? No? Then get honest with God, and let Him help you correct the things in your life that are out of order.
SoulFood: 1 Kings 3–5, Mark 10:23–34, Ps 93, Pr 11:30–31
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©