Our entire congregation visited
the Trinity Presbyterian Church where Rev Stan Henderson is the Pastor. The
combined choir was joyous as they sang several numbers.
I took notes from Pastor Stan as
he read from Matthew 12:28-35 and also from Micah 6:6-8.
The new testament setting was as
Jesus was being asked questions and his answer quieted those seeking to entrap
Him.
Matthew
12:29-31 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with
all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like
it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
other commandment greater than these.”
In this world there are many seeking to blame someone
else. Actually we should have no
excuses. At times we need to face up and
say “The buck stops here,” and to accept the consequences of our actions.
When things go wrong in Politics, the blame game
begins. It is helpful if they have used
a “Task force,” then the politician can point to the team and say it is their
fault.
If something is not our fault, we may not be responsible.
We need to teach our children to be responsible citizens, to
others and to the family. Our children
being taugh to respect those in authority should be a given.
Responsibility begins with our relationship to God.
Hold on to Godly precepts before you can begin to solve
problems.
The children of Israel
were being led out of Egypt
by Moses, but they had been in a godless society for a long time. Old habits are difficult to break.
While Moses tarried on the mountain, the people begged Aaron to
make them a god so they could worship. They
desired to worship something they were used to. So
Aaron melted their gold jewelry and created a molten calf. Upon his return Moses threw down the
tablets of stone and angrily requested an answer.
Aaron blamed the people, and said when he melted the gold;
low and behold out came a golden calf.
Now what do you think of that excuse?
We must recognize our need before God. Our hands and hearts are filled with his
provision. Responsibility means to be
responsible for ourselves, our lives to fill our needs.
We are responsible to ourselves and also to others.
When we are accused rightly or wrongly, we feel bad, embarrassed, and sometimes
angry.
I am responsible for my emotions and this is were maturity
begins.
We are responsible for our happiness. We should not be looking for someone else to
keep us happy.
I don’t want others to decide my response. If they are mean and ill tempered, that is
their problem.
God asked Cain, “Where is your brother.” He answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper.”
The answer is YES.
The French rescued 5000 Jews and when asked why they did
such a thing, they answered, “Because they needed our help.”
What does the Lord require of me?
The answer is; To do justly; beyond our own needs.
God calls us to act responsible.
3 comments:
"I am responsible for my emotions and that is where maturity begins" that sentence encouraged me in a specific situation this morning!
There are so many needs out there. So many ways we can serve God by helping others.
I can't control what others do or don't do. How they respond to situations.
All I can do is be accountable for me. I will answer to God for what I do with the life He has given me.
Daily I must remember that I am not my own.
Amen, Hazel! This Godly perspective is exactly what the world needs! Honesty is the heart of our Father.
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