Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”
Psalm 51:1-3, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.”
Do you remember playing Hot Potato as a child? It’s a simple game of passing an object from one person to the next in a circle while music plays. When the music stops, the person left holding the “hot potato” is out of the game. It ends when only one person remains.
It sounds a little like the Blame Game of today. We pass blame around carefully, making sure that someone else ends up with it. However, when the game ends, we’re still to blame — and no one wins. Our pride brings us disgrace when we attempt to avoid personal responsibility. The consequences are broken relationships and a life filled with regret.
The blame game is irrational; it stigmatizes the other person. That is why people overreact when things go wrong. It is better to be a blamer, than to be blamed. Whoever gets the blame is less than he/ she was before the fault. Speed is crucial to winning this game. Blame is one-sided. It is not about understanding what happened, but about making the other part responsible.
The blame game has been a part of our human nature since the beginning of time. What would happen, though, if we decided to take personal responsibility for our actions? When we recognize that we are fallen and fallible sinners, the chains of pride begin to break away. What we gain from humbling ourselves before God and taking responsibility for our actions is far greater than always passing the buck. As a result, reconciliation occurs with God and others as we experience the warmth of His grace. Humility yields far greater dividends than playing the blame game, because, in the end, we win!
Before writing Psalm 51, King David had been playing a blame game of his own. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba and was responsible for her husband’s death. His sin marred his life, and he was broken. Read Psalm 51 and allow David’s words to help you humble yourself and experience God’s grace.
Whenever you play the blame game, you will ultimately end up as the loser, because God is always the winner.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know I’m only fooling myself whenever I play the Blame Game. I’m sorry, Lord. I humbly ask You to help me take personal responsibility for my life. I know that on Judgment Day, I and I alone, will stand before you for my past life and I will not be able to lay that blame on someone else. May You have mercy on me. May You wipe away my sins and set me free by Your grace of freedom. Bless the bread and cup that I am partaking in “Remembrance of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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