The Blame Game

"The woman you put... with me...gave me... the fruit, and I ate it." Genesis 3:12-13 (CEV)

A man smokes 3 packs of cigarettes a day for 40 years, dies of lung cancer, and his family sues the tobacco company. A woman crashes while driving drunk, then blames the bartender. Your kids are out of control so you blame violence on TV, lack of discipline in school or the influence of their friends.

Excuses - we've got hundreds of them! Our parents failed us...our friends let us down...somebody gave us bad advice...our mate doesn't understand us. The blame game isn't new; we've been playing it since the dawn of creation. In Genesis the first couple offered God every excuse in the book to avoid responsibility for their actions. Adam actually blamed God by saying, "It was the woman you put...with me." And Eve was no better, she said, "The snake tricked me."

Solomon says, "The wise are glad to be instructed...fools fall flat on their faces" (Pr 10:8 NLT), because the ability to accept responsibility is the measure of your character and maturity. But more importantly, God can't forgive and restore you till you acknowledge and turn away from your sin. Nowhere in Scripture does He ever excuse your sin because of somebody else's behavior. In fact, when you make a habit of blaming the other guy you'll never reach the place of honest repentance.

The Bible says we'll all "appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions" (2Co 5:10 TM).

Acknowledging your sins and shortcomings here and now frees you to receive God's forgiveness and move on to maturity.

pas un cheveu de votre tête ne sera perdu

Evangile de Jésus-Christ selon saint Luc 21,12-19.

Mais avant tout cela, on portera la main sur vous et l’on vous persécutera ; on vous livrera aux synagogues, on vous jettera en prison, on vous fera comparaître devant des rois et des gouverneurs, à cause de mon Nom. Ce sera pour vous l'occasion de rendre témoignage. Mettez-vous dans la tête que vous n'avez pas à vous soucier de votre défense. Moi-même, je vous inspirerai un langage et une sagesse à laquelle tous vos adversaires ne pourront opposer ni résistance ni contradiction. Vous serez livrés même par vos parents, vos frères, votre famille et vos amis, et ils feront mettre à mort certains d'entre vous. Vous serez détestés de tous, à cause de mon Nom. Mais pas un cheveu de votre tête ne sera perdu. C'est par votre persévérance que vous obtiendrez la vie.


« Pas un cheveu de votre tête ne sera perdu »


Si nous sommes appelés au martyre, il nous faut confesser avec constance le Nom précieux, et si nous sommes châtiés pour cela, réjouissons-nous car nous courons vers l'immortalité. Si nous sommes persécutés, n'en soyons pas attristés, « n'affectionnons pas le monde présent », ni « les louanges des hommes » (2Tm 4,10;Rm 2,29), ni la gloire et l'honneur des princes, comme certains. Ils admiraient les actions du Seigneur, mais ils ne croyaient pas en lui, par crainte des grands prêtres et autres dirigeants, car « ils préféraient la gloire des hommes à celle de Dieu » (Jn 12,42). En « affirmant la belle affirmation de la foi » (1Tm 6,12), non seulement nous assurons notre salut, mais nous affermissons les nouveaux baptisés et nous consolidons la foi des catéchumènes...

Que celui qui est jugé digne du martyre se réjouisse donc d'imiter le maître, puisqu'il est prescrit : « Que chacun soit parfait comme son maître » (Lc 6,40). Or notre maître, Jésus, le Seigneur, a été frappé à cause de nous, il a enduré patiemment calomnies et outrages, il a été couvert de crachats, souffleté, roué de coups ; après avoir été flagellé, il a été cloué à la croix, on lui a fait boire du vinaigre et du fiel, et après avoir accompli toutes les Ecritures, il a dit à Dieu son Père : « En tes mains je remets mon esprit » (Lc 23,46). Celui donc qui demande à être son disciple, qu'il aspire à lutter comme lui, qu'il imite sa patience, sachant que..., quoi qu'il subisse, il en sera récompensé par Dieu s'il croit à l'unique et seul vrai Dieu...

Car le Dieu tout-puissant nous ressuscitera par notre Seigneur Jésus Christ, selon sa promesse infaillible, avec tous ceux qui sont morts depuis le début... Même si nous mourons en mer, même si nous sommes dispersés dans la terre, même si nous sommes déchirés par des bêtes féroces ou des rapaces, il nous ressuscitera par sa puissance, car tout l'univers est tenu dans la main de Dieu. « Pas un cheveu de votre tête, dit-il, ne sera perdu. » C'est pourquoi il nous exhorte en ces termes : « C'est par votre persévérance que vous obtiendrez la vie ».

The Attitude of Gratitude

There were ten of them in all. They were friends who were bound together by a shared tragedy: they all had leprosy--a horrible, disfiguring disease. There's really no way to explain the horror of watching your body slowly rot away. But that was only half of the heartache. Because it was thought that leprosy was contagious, those who suffered from it had to not only endure the ravages of disease, but also to face scorn, disgrace and loss of all dignity. They were made to live apart from the rest of society, apart from their family and friends with only fellow lepers to lean on for support and encouragement.

Lepers in Jesus' day were not only forced to live in colonies, they also had to yell out "Unclean!" whenever they approached anyone. Sometimes they were made to wear bells on their clothing to warn others of their approach.

At the leper colony, they heard stories of this man named Jesus who not only spoke of God's love for everyone, but He healed all those who came to Him. I can imagine the stories of miraculous healings came in one after the other... Jesus opened the eyes of a man blind since birth; He told a lame man to rise up and walk; He even stopped a funeral procession and gave a woman her child back. I can imagine them hearing the story of the centurion's servant who was healed. They must have thought if Jesus healed a Roman centurion's servant, certainly He would heal us, after all, we are children of Abraham!

At some point the ten came up with a plan. They would travel in a group to find Jesus. Together they would ask Him to heal them.

Finally, the moment came when they stood before Jesus. They asked Him to make them whole. "Go and show yourselves to the priests," Jesus told them. As they turned to go, they realized for the first time that their dream had just come true. They stared at their hands in disbelief. Where a moment ago there was decay and stubs, there now were fingers and hands free from leprosy. They walked their first couple of steps, then they began leaping in the air, shouting praises to God! They ran off quickly to establish their healing with the priests so they could return to their homes and families.

But one of the ten stopped in his tracks and realized he'd forgotten something very important. While his nine friends ran down the road, he turned and ran back to Jesus, falling on his face in front of the Lord. Sobbing and laughing at the same time, he kept saying it again and again... Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

"Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?" Jesus asked. The man didn't know what to say. He couldn't answer for them. He just knew the immense sense of gratitude that was swelling up inside him. This man has just given him his life back.

Then Jesus told him, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole."

Far too often, you and I are like the nine who ran down the road leaping and praising. We receive God's grace and mercy, we experience His healing touch on our lives. He restores what the devil has caused to decay. And off we run, leaping, shouting and praising, but forgetting to simply say "Thank you."

I want to be like the one who turned and ran back to Jesus, falling on his face and saying thanks. Lord, give me the attitude of gratitude!

Thank God For Everything?

Ephesians 5:20: "giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (KJV)

As a Christian, am I supposed to thank God for everything that comes my way? There is a lot of discussion about this verse in churches today. However, we need to be scripturally discriminating about this and analyze what we are giving thanks for.

Are you supposed to give God thanks for your little child getting hit by a car and dying? When your husband dies of cancer and leaves you with five children to raise. Do you thank God? There are many churches that preach that we are to give thanks in these and other evil situations. They say, "Well, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." No!

I can't thank God when someone dies and goes to hell. I can't thank God when someone is crippled with some paralysis and he can't even feed himself. Is this what the scripture is asking me to do? Am I to thank God for everything that happens - good or bad?

The Spirit of God gave me a revelation regarding this scripture which I want to share with you today. Look at the twentieth verse again, "giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice that the things we are to give thanks for are those that are "unto God."

In Matthew 22:16-21 we read, "And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? "Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (NKJV)

We are supposed to give thanks to God always for the things that He has done, not for what the devil has done. Do you understand? We give God thanks, credit, praise and glory for what He has done! You don't thank God for what the devil has done. You don't thank God that somebody died and went to hell. You don't thank God that somebody is sick and helpless or because somebody was killed or murdered. Don't blame God for what the devil does.

I know that the idea of a devil is far fetched for some intellectuals. However, whether you believe it or not, the devil still exists. The Word of God says it and I believe God's Word. Some of you are in denial and that is why the devil has been whipping your heads. He has tricked you into believing that he doesn't exist and you have been calling the things that the devil has been doing in your life, "the works of God."

Even as a society we have been blaming God for all manner of destruction. The insurance companies write into their insurance contracts, "Acts of God." There are certain things they won't insure because they say that the flood, hurricane, tornado and earthquakes are "Acts of God."

First John 3:8 says: "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

If Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, then the devil must have some works. Is this right? Jesus described the devil and his works in John 10:10, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

The devil has some works and when the devil does his works you are not to give God thanks for what the devil has done. You give thanks unto God for what He has done. Render unto God the things that are God's and render unto Satan the things that he has done. Stop blaming God for the things that the devil is doing!

This devotional was excerpted from Dr. Price's book, "Thank God For Everything?"

How Jesus Meets the Deepest Longings of Your Heart

More than likely, you've heard the story out of the New Testament of the chief tax collector, a man named Zacchaeus.

As I have read his story over and over, I have come to realize that Zacchaeus' story is everyone's story-including yours and mine.

As you read his story, you come to realize that Zacchaeus illustrates the four basic weaknesses and needs of every human heart: the feeling of emptiness, the feeling of loneliness, the weight of guilt, and the fear of death.

There really are some great life-lessons you and I can learn as we look at this man. Let's pick up his story in Luke 19:1-9:

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Zacchaeus was a wealthy man in his day, but he was empty inside. His story is a great reminder that it doesn't matter how well off you are financially or physically, there is a need deep within every human heart to be filled with something that will last...something that will fill that emptiness we feel in souls.

Friend, you and I were made to know God, to love God, to experience grace, and to know true, saving faith in Him.

It doesn't matter how much money you have...how much status you achieve...or how many things you have. You need God because you were made to know Him...just like Zacchaeus was.

But Zacchaeus had another problem. He was lonely. He was a Jew working for the Romans to collect taxes, one of the most hated professions of that day.

He was skimming off the top, swindling and scandalizing his friends. Zacchaeus was a man who seemingly had no conscience-and no friends. He was an outcast of society!

As a result, he was a very lonely man...just like so many people today. We were made to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, so we naturally feel lonely without Him. And this is how Zacchaeus felt.

Along with that loneliness, Zacchaeus carried around a huge weight of guilt...a feeling everyone experiences.

Some people try to numb the pain of guilt with excessive alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, or unhealthy relationships.

But no matter how you try to hide it...no matter how far you may try to run, you will never be able to dissolve that sense of guilt apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Finally, just like anyone who doesn't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, Zacchaeus was afraid to die. And while most people don't admit this fact, it's true.

Even though many considered Zacchaeus a waste case, Jesus knew that he was empty and lonely...Jesus knew that he felt guilty...and Jesus knew that he was afraid to die. And that's why Jesus stopped!

I don't know where you may be in life today, my friend. Maybe you can relate to one or more of Zacchaeus' weaknesses.

Whatever your station may be today...good, bad, rich or poor...I hope you have come to realize all that God is offering you through Jesus Christ...the Friend of the wounded heart.

Because through Jesus you can indeed know fullness for your emptiness, forgiveness for your guilt, and intimacy with God for your loneliness. And through Him you have the ultimate victory, the victory over death.


By Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Do Your Actions Reflect Transformation?

Consider for a moment, an earthly example of the tremendous transformation we undergo when we commit our lives to Christ. Imagine that before knowing Jesus you were a caterpillar and after inviting him into your life as your Lord and Savior you have become a butterfly. Now consider your life as a Christian. Do you always act as the new creature you've become? Or do you sometimes grovel as a caterpillar instead of soaring as a butterfly? Imagine seeing a beautiful, graceful butterfly groveling on the ground amidst the dirt and a leaf, feeding as a caterpillar does; devouring everything in its path, seeing as a caterpillar does; only what is in front of him, walking as a caterpillar does; unable to soar above his circumstances. That doesn't mean that accepting Christ exempts us from experiencing hardships and sorrows. Walking with Jesus won't transform our lives into carefree perfection. In fact, our butterfly wings may even become bruised or broken but as Christians we are forever transformed through His grace and mercy. It is our job to remember that we are new creatures and to act as new creatures do.

While our actions may not always reflect the transformation God has promise, He has given us a standard for our actions. The popular phrase WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) has become a trendy slogan that adorns bumper stickers and t-shirts, but it actually strikes at the heart of the matter. It asks of us the simple question: Are my actions Christ-like? Much more than what we say, our growth and strength in Christ is measured by what we do-What do your actions say about you? And more importantly, what does God expect of our actions? In His Holy Word, God provides us with a remarkable guide; He has given us an instruction manual for transforming our actions. In our Christian walk, God wants us to:

-Act with thanks. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

-Act with the knowledge that Jesus is with you. Matthews 28:20 says, "...lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world."

-Act with the knowledge that God will- "Strengthen and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will;" Hebrews 13:21AMP

-Act with the knowledge that both good and bad circumstances will work out on your behalf "..we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

-Act like over-comers. Romans 8:37 says, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

-Act like victorious Christians. I Corinthians 15:57 says, "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

By continually seeking God, studying and applying His Holy word, we will experience a transformation in our Actions! And when our actions become more Christ-like, we grow stronger in our faith, become closer to God, and learn to soar above any and every circumstance that comes our way.


Source : Minister Mia Wright has learned to trust God for total forgiveness. Raised in a Christian home, she wandered from the church during her teenage years and found herself searching for fulfillment in relationships, achievement and material things. After reaching her lowest point, God saved her from a potentially dangerous lifestyle and revealed that He was always with her. It was then that God touched her life and created the desire for her to know and love Him. Today Minister Mia has a special call to minister to women on self-worth in Christ.