What to expect on life’s journey (3)

“You ran well. Who hindered you?” Galatians 5:7 NKJV

You must take responsibility for your life instead of blaming others. In the Garden of Eden when God asked Adam why he had eaten from the tree, he blamed his wife: “The woman whom You gave…me…gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12 NKJV). Then we read, “The Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me’” (v. 13 NKJV). Eve blamed the devil. So did God accept their excuses? No. He said to Adam, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and…eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it:’ Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you” (vv. 17-18 NKJV). Then God told Eve, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (v. 16 NKJV). When those words were spoken, Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise. “Since God is all-knowing,” you ask, “how come He got angry with Adam and Eve?” Because neither one would take responsibility for their actions! When you sin, God will readily forgive you (see Nehemiah 9:17). What He won’t accept, however, is obfuscating, rationalizing, justifying, excusing, and blaming. His Word says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). So if you want to move forward, you must take responsibility for your life!

Bible in a year: Ezekiel 3-4 and Hebrews 6