Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Patience”
Our Bible verse for today: “You get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.” 1 Peter 2:20 (NLT)
Our thought for today: “We must assume personal responsibility for our actions.”
How many of our problems are our own fault, a result of our own poor choices? If we’re honest about it we probably have to admit that much of what we suffer in life we bring on ourselves. One of the worst and least helpful things we can do is to play the victim. Way too often people convince themselves that their problems are someone else’s fault and they are the innocent victim of unfair treatment from people who are being mean to them. That’s a prescription for failure. You can’t succeed in life if you won’t take personal responsibility for your situations.
That’s pretty much the point Peter was making in 1 Peter 2:20. If I’m suffering as a result of wrongdoing or bad choices on my part, then I’m getting what I deserve. Now I have to deal with the consequences. Of course, there are times when we are treated unjustly by others. When that happens, God is aware of it and He will ensure there is justice in the end. For our part we’re to respond in a Biblical way that honors Him.
But still, and this is my primary point today, we must assume personal responsibility for our actions and for our poor choices. If you are fully or partially to blame for your problems, but you fool yourself into believing it’s really all someone else’s fault, you stand virtually no chance of fixing the situation or of avoiding a similar problem in the future.
The best response is to assume full responsibility for your actions and the consequences of them, and then patiently work with the Lord to fix it. Righting the wrong and repairing the damage may take some time, but the starting place is to acknowledge your personal responsibility for the situation you are in.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 