12 Sins We Blame on Others

Author: Ben Reaoch, on Desiring God blog

It started in the Garden. Adam said to God,

The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.
~Genesis 3:12

The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn't put Eve in the garden with him.

The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we're confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself.

We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational. Here are 12 examples.

1) Anger I wouldn't lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or if my spouse were more considerate.

2) Impatience I would be a very patient person if it weren't for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store. If I didn't have so many things to do, and if the people around me weren't so slow, I would never become impatient!

3) Lust I would have a pure mind if there weren't so many sensual images in our culture.

4) Anxiety I wouldn't worry about the future if my life were just a little more secure—if I had more money, and no health problems.

5) Spiritual Apathy My spiritual life would be so much more vibrant and I would struggle with sin less if my small group were more encouraging, or if Sunday school were more engaging, or if the music in the worship service were more lively, or if the sermons were better.

6) Insubordination If my parents/bosses/elders were godly leaders, then I would joyfully follow them.

7) A Critical Spirit It's not my fault that the people around me are ignorant and inexperienced.

8) Bitterness If you knew what that person did to me, you would understand my bitterness. How could I forgive something like that?

9) Gluttony My wife/husband/roommate/friend is a wonderful cook! The things they make are impossible to resist.

10) Gossip It's the people around me who start the conversations. There's no way to avoid hearing what others happen to say. And when others ask me questions, I can't avoid sharing what I know.

11) Self-Pity I'll never be happy, because my marriage/family/job/ministry is so difficult.

12) Selfishness I would be more generous if we had more money.

Making excuses like this is arrogant and foolish. It's a proud way of trying to justify our actions and pacify our guilty consciences. And it keeps us from humbling ourselves before God to repent of our sins and seek his forgiveness.

Consider James 1:13-15, which leaves us with no way of escaping our own sin and guilt. We cannot blame God, for he "cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one."

Instead, we have to accept the humbling truth that "each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." This will end the blame game, and it will send us pleading for Christ's mercy and grace.

A Prayer of Psalm 119

Lord,
Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.

I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.

Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Amen.

~ Psalm 119:129-133

Be still....in THIS unique moment

Who is God? “I AM”

Where is God? Here

When is God? Now

What is God? Love

How simple He makes it for us—I am here now. To love. To be loved. In this moment—yes, even this one.

Are we too deaf to hear? Too busy to slow down? Too apathetic to care?

“Outlandish as it may sound, the mystery of eternity is wrapped up in daily attentiveness. Communion with God is affirmed by the way we embrace this one day.” ~ Ian Stackhouse

Lord,
in THIS moment,
may we be attentive to You.
Increase our awareness that
every second with You is sacred.

The Season for Fruit

Last year was a bad year for blueberries. Right after the bushes bloomed, we experienced a hard freeze beginning April 1st with temperatures below 20 F for three nights in a row. This resulted in the complete loss of every berry on my bushes. I had to write the year off and wait. This year appears to be a bumper crop year... if it will rain at the right times.

What, pray tell, does this have to do with memorizing Scripture? Look closer at Psalm 1:3 near the middle of the verse, "...which brings forth it's fruit in season..."

There is a place and time when fruit comes, well, to fruition. It doesn't happen all the time! Yet that is exactly what I expect of my walk with God; a constantly fruitful and rewarding experience for myself.

The truth is everything has a time, including the transformation I undergo by being in His Word. I just need to abide in His Word (like the tree planted by streams of water) and patiently wait for the season for fruit. It will come.

It amazes me how a truth so profound can be so simple and so easily overlooked.

David

Did You Remember?

Is it worth my time?

Why should I memorize scripture?

See if it:

• helps you not sin (Psalm 119:11)
• gives you guidance for life (Psalm 119:105)
• provides words to fight temptation (Matthew 4:4)
• stocks up material to meditate on (Joshua 1:8)
• prompts words of blessings to others (Proverbs 25:11)
• prepares you to explain your hope (1 Peter 3:15)
• equips you to teach others (Colossians 3:16)
• on and on and on (Isaiah 55:11)

Allen has challenged the body to memorize James 1:1-8 (NIV). Here is an audio version you can listen to or download to help you along. While you’re at it, double up and memorize Psalm 1 with a few in David’s Wednesday night class. (And read Stuart's post below for extra insight into that Psalm.) For extra memory motivation and practical tips, read “An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture.”

It takes time to put the Word in your heart. But it is ALWAYS worth it. Try it!

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
~ Psalm 1:1,2

The Blessed Ones - Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man …”

There they are, the very first words of the first chapter of the longest collection of writings in the most widely read, the most widely translated, and [simply put] the most important Book in the history of mankind. You know, the one clearly titled “The Book” (well at least it was in the original language).

In Psalm 1, “Blessed” would sound more familiar to our present day ears as “How Happy!” That’s pretty much at the core of our lives, isn’t it? We gravitate towards those people and activities in life in which we derive delight, joy, satisfaction, enjoyment … all those synonyms for Happiness.

How many books have been written trying to sell the “Secrets to Happiness”? 10,000? 100,000? I decided to see if I was in the ballpark by doing this search on Amazon.com. The result?

Showing 1 - 12 of 274,559 Results
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment
Stumbling on Happiness

And on and on the list went …

With page after countless page having been dedicated to the subject, can we really expect the Psalmist to reveal something profound in 6 short verses – a mere 120 words or so?

As Mr. Nance so ably reminded us this past Wed night, God is not trying to hide His Word or His Will from us, to the contrary it should be called the “Message of the Obvious”. There are no secrets to decipher, no puzzles to solve. So what message does the Psalmist have for us?

Is Psalm 1 a blueprint to Happiness?

I think we want it to be … we want to “Stumble” upon it, as one of the books listed above so enticingly promises. Don’t we just want to be able to say the right magic words or participate in the right rituals at the right times and know for certain that Happiness would be waiting in our Inbox later that day – like the confirmation email you get after you sign up on a website? And in case that piqued your interest as it did mine, I’ll save you the trouble - yes, happiness.com is already up and running.

After some reflection, I don’t believe being such a blueprint is the intent of this Psalm, despite our desires to the contrary. We are simply being told the way things are … "I am going to describe the ones who are happy". And what do we learn about them?

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night

The law is so invasive in and pervasive throughout their lives that it directs how and where they walk, stand, sit, and meditate every day and night. Hmmm … that pretty much covers the 24-hour cycle, doesn’t it? And yet somehow, it is not a burden? It is to be delighted in?

Ok, I can hear you from the other end of the internet … “But didn’t you just finish teaching a class about how Christ came to abolish the idea of Law-keeping and to firmly establish the righteousness which comes by faith?”

Well yes, I did. The texts are numerous and very direct. Here is one concise example:

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law,
has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
~ Rom 3:21

And yet, the Apostle Paul lets us know there was a purpose for the Law to act as a tutor, to teach us the language of covenant, the A-B-C’s of a relationship with God, if you will:

So also, when we were children,
we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, …
that we might receive the full rights of sons.
~ Gal 4:3-5

Even though we have moved on to adulthood through Christ’s work, we don’t forget those fundamental principles we learned as children do we? Sin and its consequences, the Holiness of God, Sacrifice, Promise, Deliverance, and at the very core, Love:

The entire law is summed up in a single command:
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
~ Gal 5:14

And now that the time has fully come, we can understand and commune with the Law-giver in a way that was previously unknown. In a way that frees us from any burden to justify ourselves in His presence, because He has taken the curse of the Law on His shoulders. We are free to have direct, continual access to Him:

… we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place
by the blood of Jesus
~ Heb 10:19

And by faith we know that is where we want to be, where we desperately need to be … in His presence. How does Happiness flow from there? I honestly don’t know. I daresay it is Indescribable. Immeasurable even. It must be dynamic and unique to each of His children – in each of our specific circumstances and stages of life. I don’t think we have to know how it “works”, but rather:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

We are simply called to put down deep roots with Him. Delight in Him and drink from His Spirit ... continually, with the full expectation that He is sufficient.

“Blessed is that man” indeed.

~ Posted by Stuart

How Sharp Is Your Sword?

" …Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
~ Ephesians 6:17

“I need to liven up my daily Bible reading.”

“I really have no clue on how to study the Bible; I’ve never done it.”

“How can I avoid boredom from re-reading the same stories I’ve read a million times?”

“I can’t stay awake to read the Bible.”

Can you relate to any of these? We can. We spoke them all tonight—in a class coordinated by David Nance, “Improving Your Personal Bible Study”, held on Wednesday nights this summer to address these very issues and more.

The Lord has placed us in a community of believers to learn from each other and to help each other grow. Opportunities such as these provide extra encouragement as well as new skills to nurture our individual relationships with God, and consequently with each other.

Take the first challenge to the class: commit to reading the Bible every day this quarter (now through August). Even when you don’t understand the prophecies, even when you’re in the boring genealogies, even when you’ve read it before. Read it anyway. At least a little. Every day.

“I want encouragement by seeing how excited other people are about studying.”

“There are people I don’t know, and I can get to know them in this way.”

“I imagine we’ll see that the Word is a lot bigger than we individually experience it.”

Let the Scriptures come alive to you and lead you into the very heart of God. There’s no better place to be!

"For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
~ Hebrews 4:12

"Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts."
~ Jeremiah 15:16