My Responsibility

   If I should be condemned to Hell, it will be because I have failed to live my life as I should.  I can’t blame Satan, I can’t blame others who may have tempted me, and I certainly can’t blame God.

   Satan can tempt me with his lies and promises.  He can twist words, shade opinions, and skew the facts trying make me turn from truth.  But he can’t force me to do anything.  If I fall to his temptations it is my fault.  All I need to do is call upon my Lord and Savior and He will give me the strength to resist.

   People sometimes say they got into trouble because they got themselves involved with the “wrong crowd”.  How pathetic is that?  If Satan can’t force us to sin how is a group of friends going to make us do wrong.  Choose your friends as if your life depends on it; your soul very well may.

   Some say they can’t believe in a God who condemns people to hell.  He condemns no one to hell; they condemn themselves.  Anyone who ends up in hell made the choice to reject God and follow the evil one.  God would have forgiven and taken them back at any time in their life.  All they needed to do was ask with a sincere and sorrowful heart.

   Placing blame on others is an easy thing to do.  If we can convince ourselves that someone else caused us to sin we feel we aren’t responsible.  The U.S. Marines have a saying that is very applicable here, “MAN UP!”  Whether man or woman the concept is the same, quit blaming others and take responsibility for your actions.  In the final analysis only you can answer for them.

   We can be tempted and cajoled by those who would urge us to sin.  We can be ostracized for not going along.  When we refuse those who tempted us may even hate us.  But we can never be forced.  We have the final decision and we must accept responsibility for those decisions.

Father, there are so many temptations.

There are so many tempters.

Help us reject the evil.

Help us be responsible to ourselves and to You.

Amen