TOB

11-16-2009
TOB

It’s easy to find fault in others, especially when it takes the blame away from the individual that actually made the mistake or was in the wrong. We have an excuse filled society that I like to call TOB. My wife and I joke around anytime someone wants to transfer blame from themselves to someone else. We call this TOB for transfer of blame.

TOB occurs with kids on a regular basis, yet where do you think they learn it? Why do we have such a difficult time facing the music? If you make a mistake, admit it, make it right, and move forward. Don’t look for others to blame. At the end of the day, you are the decision maker for what you do and don’t do, say and don’t say. If you fail to do something that needs to be done, avoid transferring the blame. We ought to look for reasons as to why it was our fault before we look for reasons why it wasn’t. We are teaching our kids the evil lessons of TOB.

While sitting in church this morning at Preston Trails community church in Frisco, Texas, Senior Pastor Jim Johnson preached a great sermon about Surviving Death. In the sermon, he quoted another minister whose twenty four year old son had been killed. To summarize, someone approached the grieving minister and said, “It was God’s will that your son died.” The minister, enraged, said, “No it was not.” The point the minister was making is God hurts just like we do. Death is the enemy as it steals everything from us. God’s heart brakes when death occurs. It’s not his will that we die, it’s our own doing. We shouldn’t cast off bad things as if God willed it to happen. Instead, we should understand we will have consequences for our actions. If we don’t care for ourselves, we will probably have a shorter life span. If we drive and text message at the same time, there’s a good chance we are going to get in a wreck, which could possibly cost someone a life. It’s time we face the music and understand we are being held accountable for our actions. Therefore, don’t blame God, people, or anything else for misfortunes. Instead, find a way to fix the problem, and understand God is for us, not against us. Can God heal anything? YES! He can do whatever he wants, but we still pay the price for poor decisions, so let’s make good decisions.

I truly believe we all know right from wrong, but very few people have the discipline to do the right thing on a consistent basis. When we live a life the right way, we may still have misfortunes, but whatever we do, let’s face those misfortunes head on. Let’s refrain from looking for someone to blame. Instead, show love to others, and focus on being all you can be regardless of the situation.

Application:
1. Read John 11:1-44
2. Do you wear the TOB title?