The Blame Game
“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” ESV 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
A friend sent me an email this week that read in part: “If there has ever been a time in our society and church that the family needs reinforcing and encouraging, it is now.” At first glance I recognized the statement as a keen and true observation. Then I started to wonder where we might be missing the boat in our families and churches. Why do we find ourselves in a predicament? Why do we so desperately need reinforcing?
As I pondered the question it occurred to me that our challenges are not really new. As a matter of fact, they go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. And the very root of our issues is our inherent resistance to acknowledging our sins. We simply don’t like to take personal responsibility for our actions and that mindset permeates our families too.
You’ll recall that Adam and Eve played the blame game. When God confronted them with their sin Adam blamed Eve and Eve in turn blamed the serpent but neither one of them desired to take responsibility for their sins. Isn’t it still that way today? Sure it is. As a matter of fact, our society promotes the blame game; finger pointing is in and personal culpability is out.
Paul wrote to churches with an endearing pen much like one would write to an extended family. And when he penned this letter to the Corinthian church family, it was a very pointed letter meant to keep them focused, or to refocus them, on truth and not deception.
Much could be said about our verses, but let me focus on just this thought: The Corinthian church family found itself in need of reinforcement because they were easily and readily deceived by the cunning thoughts and rhetoric of the day. Preachers were telling them what they wanted to hear and the Corinthians “put up with it readily enough.”
Think for a moment of the false teachings we readily put up with it today. As a society, we are driven by a ‘me centered’ mindset that discounts personal responsibility. And we don’t want to be held accountable by God or anyone else for our actions. No, it’s much more comfortable to play the blame game and put off personal accountability.
Let me challenge you to begin reinforcing your family today by keeping everyone focused on God’s word and not the world’s guidance. Let Christ reign in your home. Don’t accept the foolish notions of society and don’t play the blame game.
Ken Askew
A friend sent me an email this week that read in part: “If there has ever been a time in our society and church that the family needs reinforcing and encouraging, it is now.” At first glance I recognized the statement as a keen and true observation. Then I started to wonder where we might be missing the boat in our families and churches. Why do we find ourselves in a predicament? Why do we so desperately need reinforcing?
As I pondered the question it occurred to me that our challenges are not really new. As a matter of fact, they go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. And the very root of our issues is our inherent resistance to acknowledging our sins. We simply don’t like to take personal responsibility for our actions and that mindset permeates our families too.
You’ll recall that Adam and Eve played the blame game. When God confronted them with their sin Adam blamed Eve and Eve in turn blamed the serpent but neither one of them desired to take responsibility for their sins. Isn’t it still that way today? Sure it is. As a matter of fact, our society promotes the blame game; finger pointing is in and personal culpability is out.
Paul wrote to churches with an endearing pen much like one would write to an extended family. And when he penned this letter to the Corinthian church family, it was a very pointed letter meant to keep them focused, or to refocus them, on truth and not deception.
Much could be said about our verses, but let me focus on just this thought: The Corinthian church family found itself in need of reinforcement because they were easily and readily deceived by the cunning thoughts and rhetoric of the day. Preachers were telling them what they wanted to hear and the Corinthians “put up with it readily enough.”
Think for a moment of the false teachings we readily put up with it today. As a society, we are driven by a ‘me centered’ mindset that discounts personal responsibility. And we don’t want to be held accountable by God or anyone else for our actions. No, it’s much more comfortable to play the blame game and put off personal accountability.
Let me challenge you to begin reinforcing your family today by keeping everyone focused on God’s word and not the world’s guidance. Let Christ reign in your home. Don’t accept the foolish notions of society and don’t play the blame game.
Ken Askew
posted by TBC at
3/25/2009 08:55:00 PM
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