You are responsible for your own spiritual fitness and maturity.
That is a pretty direct statement, but after several weeks working through the beatitudes, it has become increasingly clear that Jesus demands a degree of personal responsibility. You are not responsible for your own salvation. You are not responsible even for the conviction of sin that comes through the power of the Holy Spirit, but you are responsible to utilize the gifts he has given you to grow in godliness.
He calls you to poverty of spirit, mourning over sin, meekness, and to a desire for righteousness. He knows you cannot do any of this on your own, but in his grace he gives you the ability to repent of your sin and pursue him. In other words, he has enabled you to be responsible, but you have to make the choice to follow.
In an age that decries personal responsibility, there is encouragement to blame anyone and everyone else for your spiritual struggles, but when you stand before the Lord one day, you will stand on your own. Your parents may have let you down. The church you grew up in may have been unhealthy. You may feel scarred by purity culture. You might even have anger at those who were spiritual leaders in your past.
But, they are not responsible for your spiritual fitness today. You are.
No on in your past tells you to avoid spiritual disciplines or to keep yourself away from God’s people. You are responsible, and even if you choose to deny your responsibility, your blame game can only go so far. At some point you, like everyone else in the world, will have to take responsibility for your own actions.
So start telling the truth today.
If you are a person who is far from the Lord, it is time you stopped blaming others and got serious about your situation. Grow up. Tell the truth. If you do not want to follow Jesus, just say so. Stop blaming your parents or your siblings. You only blame them because you don’t want to live with the full consequences of your own actions.
Blaming is for weak people. Accepting responsibility is for meek people. Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth.
So, grow up.
Of course, some of you are reading this and are aware of some terrible forms of abuse and tragedy that have happened in the name of Christ. Some of you have even been personally impacted. For those of you, please know that you are loved and prayed for. I pray that there are other believers who will walk with you today as you seek to lean on the Lord.
But, there are far more who have not been abused, but who are looking for an excuse to flee from the Lord. Rather than being abused, they have become the abusers of their parents, family of origin, or even healthy spiritual leaders from their past.
When all is said and done, you are responsible. Stop blaming others for your failures. Stop relying on the spiritual victories of others to guarantee your future. Get out of bed. Take responsibility for your own spiritual life and start seeking the Lord. He is waiting to meet you right there.
Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash
