Own It
Remember when your kids were little and a dispute arose among them? The first to tell his story blamed it on his sister. The sister blamed it on her brother. When I think back over my experience with my kids doing this, I smile, remembering how I had to negotiate a settlement between them.
But the heart behind their defense is no laughing matter. It could be from fear of punishment. Or it could be from pride not wanting to admit to some wrong behavior. In either case, a wise parent will drill down to the cause and not just scratch the surface of the action. My kids knew the penalty would be worse if they lied.
Today, our society is filled with people
who haven’t learned to accept responsibility—to own their actions—and not blame others. Our courts are filled with cases where the perp is caught red-handed and still pleads not guilty. Part of the blame goes to our legal system, where liberal judges and lenient laws offer the flimsiest of loopholes to give freedom to one who should spend the rest of their days behind bars or who should be awaiting the ultimate penalty. The question jurors face is one of guilt or innocence. The judge has to decide between mercy and justice.
Our political system is as bad, if not worse. Blame is rampant, spawned by unjustifiable hatred. I think I would fall over in a faint if one side ever took responsibility for pushing the wrong agenda that hurt the population. Again, we have to look at the heart behind the action. Lust for power, greed, lying to hide real problems, and the insecurity of having to admit being wrong keep the wheel of pride spinning out of control.
In 2 Peter this morning, I read
“But know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation'”. (3:3) In Noah’s day, the reaction to Noah’s message of repentance met with the same mockery…until the rains came.
Our legal and political systems are filled with the mockers of our day. To those of us who claim Jesus Christ as friend and Savior, our society is a travesty mocking all things righteous. And we live in hope that Jesus will return for us soon. Peter, three times in his 2nd letter, tells his readers that he is reminding them of what they already know. Twice he calls it “stirring them up.”
It’s sad to say,
but the church in America today needs to be stirred up. It has gotten weak, apathetic, and disengaged from the mission Jesus gave before He left for home, namely, to go to all the nations and make disciples (Matt. 28:19). I wonder how many reading this have ever shared their relationship with Jesus with another person. It doesn’t have to be overseas. It can be around your own dining table or on a break at work. In Luke 10:2, Jesus tells the 70 who are going to towns ahead of His travels, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few, therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
The 70 were not disciples.
They were everyday Joes like you and me. But they owned the challenge to go and share the gospel. Can we be like them and own the challenge; not like our children or politicians who are into the blame game? One response some will hear is “well done” from Jesus. The other response to this command, not so much.
Great rewards await those who are faithful even in a little thing (Luke 19:17). Thanks for reading.