WHO DO YOU BELIEVE IS TO BLAME?
Is there really a reason to assign blame, are is there something more important?
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Rom 3:10
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3: 16-18
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom 8:1
So, in this brief summary of the origin, and opportunity available to us, of the plight and potential of mankind, we see that no one has ever been without blame, and there is no-one without the potential for redemption.
As humans, we have a tendency to judge the intentions, and performance of others. Most of us are familiar with metaphors such as “walk in their shoes.” Most of us realize that we cannot fully understand the pressures, and challenges that others face in their life, though we often have a tendency to observe the choices, and activities of others through the lens of our own experiences.
We often resist the likelihood that our own choices have been the main catalyst in unfavorable results. It is easy to blame others, or those that have gone before us for creating the situations that have been bequeathed to us. There is some truth to this, and the choices that each of us make have ramifications, not only to us, but to those that are effected by them. Parents pass on opportunities, and obstacles to their offspring, and each of us similarly leave opportunities, and obstacles in our wake for those around us.
As Christians, we are to be ambassadors for God’s mercy and grace to our offspring, and to those around us. We are to proclaim the Gospel, while attempting to faithfully model it to a lost world. We are to acknowledge the truth, by way of facts, and extend mercy and grace whenever, and wherever possible. We are to honor our parents, and extend the grace of God to everyone in our sphere.
We are to strive to make choices that will benefit us, and all those that are effected by those choices, while relying upon the mercies of God to cover for our failures.
We Americans live in a nation that has been fought for, secured, and passed on to us by our forefathers, up to, and including our very own parents. The USA has been preserved to the extent that each American was taught, and has been faithful to the teaching of the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution.
If we are not familiar with the specific wording, and proper history of these documents, we suffer from profound ignorance. As a profound idiot, it is unlikely that we are able to make intelligent, informed, faithful, gracious decisions, and are unlikely to leave a positive effect on the civil society around us, or to those of the next generation. On the other hand, if we resist the temptation to blame our forefathers, and mothers, for their shortcomings, and strive to do the best we can with what has been given to us, I believe that we can affect, in a positive way, the nation that we leave for the next generation.
God bless you, Dave