Genesis 3:6-13 (NKJV)
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Who is to blame for all the things going on in our world? I’m sure it is not you. Someone else must be responsible for these bad things. No one wants to take responsibility these days. Everyone wants benefits without responsibility.
Eve was being tempted by the serpent to eat of the fruit. Adam was there with her. He knew they were not supposed to eat the fruit but he let the serpent talk Eve into it. Adam did nothing to uphold God’s law nor help his wife according to the story. He allowed Eve to eat the fruit and he ate some himself. As soon they ate, their eyes were opened and they now knew good and evil. Actually, evil entered the world through their disobedience. The Lord asked what they had done. And, of course, they both passed the buck!
We are working on a relocation project. As is typical with moving phone lines, the receiving company did not take the number right away. The sending company did not check to confirm the transfer but just disconnected the number from their system cutting off the service on a fax line for a law firm. And it has been a nightmare ever since. The client wanted to know why this happened. I told him it was my fault for not confirming the transfer myself rather than allowing the companies to handle what they should be able to do on their own. Even an attorney was not sure what to do with the truth and someone who would take responsibility. Our team figured a way to fix the mess both companies made and we are getting things back on track. But that could not have been done if we spent our time trying to blame someone else. Instead, we focused on the solution and not excuses.
What about you? Are you willing to stand up and say it is my fault? Once blame is out of the way, a solution can be found. The Lord knew that His creation would look to place blame. He knows how we are formed and that we want to pass the buck. At the foundations of the world, He decided to take the blame for all sin upon Himself to get blame out of the way. In so doing, he has allowed the focus to be on a solution. That solution is Him and His grace. By Grace, you have been saved and this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). While you are to blame for the things you do, God is willing to help you get past your shortcomings and restore you. Instead of hiding from God in your guilt, why not face up to the sin and accept His grace. It is better to face the music and put it behind you than to struggle with guilt for years. My Dad would say “You’ll do better next time!” Your Heavenly Father loves you enough to remove your sin from you. Accept His grace and forgiveness and grow into who He designed you to be. Don’t look for blame, look for and give grace.
Father, we thank You that You love us anyway! You know we sin yet You offer grace. Help us to face up to our shortcomings and learn to move past them into the center of your love. By Your stripes we are healed. Remove our guilt and replace it with humility and a contrite heart so we can enjoy time with You. Help us to grow from each challenge to become the winners You designed us to be. In Your name we pray! Amen!