The Blame Game

 

Ezekiel 18:2  "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?" The Blame Game There is no doubt that it is human nature to be the first to take the credit and the last to take the blame!  Any of us want the praise for a job well done, but none of us want the responsibility before it happens.  Rare is the person that will take responsibility; many will lay the blame for some failure or some sin at the feet of other people, including those closest to them.  Blaming your parents for your own sins has almost become a common strategy of defendants in the American judicial system.  While it is common today, it is not unique to our day.  The blame game has been around about as long as people have! People in Ezekiel's day were so eager to blame somebody else that they blamed their parents.  Truthfully, they were blaming God for not being fair.  They were not willing to assume responsibility for their own sin; they were willing to assume that God's judgment on them was because of their fathers.  They were desperately in need and under God's judgment but unwilling to recognize their need.  You can't help a person who doesn't see his need! The children of Israel had a proverb in that day that said, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."  In other words, the children were suffering the bitterness of life as a result of decisions the fathers had made.  What was God's answer to all of this?  "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel."  He doesn't take the shifting of blame lightly! The fact of the matter is, each of us is accountable to God.  While there is no doubt that your parents influenced you, that is never an excuse for you to do wrong.  Your relationship to God is determined by your choices, not your heredity.  Until you come to God and realize that you have a responsibility in choices today, regardless of the influences yesterday, you cannot see a better day.  Don't take your turn in the blame game! Prayer Requests: 1. Services tonight in Fostoria, MI and Owensboro, KY 2. Services this weekend in North Salem, IN  Want more First Light?  View past devotionals here

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