It’s not my Fault!
Or was it?
Being the youngest of five, I always had someone to blame for my wrong doings. (Not that I did that many things wrong.) I have one brother that rarely did anything bad.
If something went wrong and the question was asked “Who did this?” the answer was always “My Brother.” Knowing that he never did wrong and would be forgiven for the minor offense very quickly rather than me messing up again.
Even after we were grown and My Brother was in basic training for the United States Air Force in Texas, a question by my Mother went like this, “who left that cup on the counter,” or “who left that plate on the end table” or and one of my favorites, my Dad’s shoes in the floor and the question was “who do these shoes belong to?” and the answer was always “My Brother.” No matter the only people in the house all day was me and my Dad, the answer was “My Brother.”
It’s good to have a person to blame things on, that way it’s not my fault if I am wrong. As I have mentioned I was raised in a somewhat legalistic Church, the hair had to be long on a girl and short on a guy. Women had to wear dresses, and they had to be long, and all men had to wear suites, the clothes on their back were more important than Jesus in their heart.
I have taught Sunday School for almost 30 years, that includes at my home Church, small group, home studies, hospice home care class. I have preached in nursing homes, Alzheimer’s ward, youth detention centers, and a number of Churches in west Georgia and east Alabama. In doing all this preaching and teaching, I would bring lessons at first the way I was taught.
If I said “you needed to dress in dresses and suits.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
If I said “you have to be in Church every time the door is opened.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
If I said “you have to use a certain kind of Bible.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
If I said “your hair had to be a certain way.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
If I said “you have to sing certain songs a certain way.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
If I said “you have to pray a certain way.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
If I said “you have to give a certain amount if you have it or not.” It’s not my fault, that’s what I was taught.
Now what is important is the reason I was taught all this, the way I was is:
It’s not their fault, that’s what they were taught.
That reminds me of The Parable of the Ham
A child stood and watched her mother prepare the annual holiday ham. The mother carefully cut each end of the ham off before placing it in the pan. The child asked, “Mother, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The mother replied, “Well, that’s the way my mother always did it.”
So, the child called her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham?” The grandmother replied, “because that’s the way my mother always did it.”
Finally, the child called her great-grandmother and asked, “Great-Grandma, why did you always cut the ends off the ham?”
The great-grandmother replied, “Because the ham was way too big to fit in my small baking pan!!”
So, the cycle must stop. I must stop blaming My Brother, and even stop blaming the way I was raised. You see time and time again with young people that are committing crimes, the reason was “it’s how I was raised.”
Now after you get a certain age it’s all on you. You make the call and do wrong you are the one responsible.
As Dr. Michael L. Brown posted on Twitter:
“Regardless of my genetics, my upbringing, and my life experiences, I alone am ultimately responsible for my actions and choices.”
The same goes with my Teaching and Preaching, after a while I am the one responsible for leading people the wrong or misguided way.
Paul told Timothy his son in the faith in:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. KJV
The word study means:
NT:4704 spoudazo (spoo-dad’-zo); to use speed, i.e. to make effort, be prompt or earnest: KJV — do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. NKJV
2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. NIV
2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. NASU
2Tim 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. NLT
I love the way the Amplified Bible reads it:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. Amplified Bible (AMP)
Now my job is to do my diligence, work hard, do my best, and Study the Word of God, rightly handling the word of truth, so I will not be ashamed when I am presented to God. Dig into the scripture and find out what is being said and why it’s being said. Then and only then do I do my best to tell what is being said in the Holy Scripture.
I have read the Bible through a few times, and when I came across something, I didn’t understand I would jump over it and keep on reading.
But now I stop and dig, study, and do my best to see what God is telling me. I love looking at different translations and see what words are different and why. That is what gets me in the Bible even deeper.
After looking through the scripture I can’t find anywhere that it says to wear a tie, it’s just not in there.
I never saw Jesus when on a sea shore or along a mountain, or in a garden tell the smelly people to go get dressed before He would talk to them.
I never read one word, not one, saying before He healed them that they needed a haircut.
There are so many things we get so bent out of shape over that I believe God really does not care about.
I was a Carpenter and Craftsman by trade, and my Dads home was just around the corner from my house. (I had to pass his to get to mine) A lot of days on my way home, still having the residue of the day on me, a little sawdust, maybe some stain on my hands, a little paint on my pants, and sweat running down my face.
I would drop by to check on my Dad. I would knock on the door as I opened it and walked on in, see its “MY FATHERS HOUSE” I have a key and I have freedom to come in at any time. And I knew no matter how I looked or even smelled I was always welcome there.
My Dad would usually be on the sofa, and he would get up and a big smile would be on his face, because his boy came by to spend some time with him. I may be wrong but I think that is the way God is, just happy to spend some time with me.
We get so caught up on the outside of a person the way they look and dress we miss out and never get to know the inside (the heart) of the person. Thank God He looks at the heart.
1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” NKJV
I have never not ever read in the red letters of Jesus to “turn your King James Bible” to a particular verse.
It is not there!
So why for the life of me do we get so excited if someone is reading a different translation than we have, and how on earth does that make you more spiritual than someone else because you sing from a red hymnal instead of a large screen.
I have been a part of both worship services and felt His very presence in both.
I have sat and even preached in Church services that had a hand full of people and God moved in a mighty way. Then I have sat in Church services with 1500 to 2000 people and had the same God convict and move me to tears with His presence.
What difference does it make if you open a Bible Book, a phone app, a lap top, a Kendal reader, or a Nook Book with apps. (The Nook is what I use because I can carry five different Bibles a Strong’s Concordance, and a Matthew Henry Commentary and over two hundred sermons that I have already brought.)
A friend of mine Tim Croft said, “I bet someone got upset when they opened the first book Bible rather than unrolling a scroll.”
Any reason to try to look more spiritual than those that don’t do it your way.
We the Church keep on and on debating on which Bible is the best, which songs are the best, which type of music is the best, which way to dress is the best, and we need to stop.
Just because they are not doing it the way we are does not mean it’s wrong, it’s just different.
You never see Jesus heal the same way twice, He raised three different people from death, three different ways.
The little Girl he said in Mark 5:41 He gently speaks “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
For the widow son he stopped the funeral: Luke 7:14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
And His friend Lazarus we see in: John 11:43 He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” NKJV
One is in a bed one is in a coffin and the other is in the grave.
And Jesus handled them the different, but the message is the same Jesus SPOKE! One a whisper, one talk, and then He yells for Lazarus. Why then can’t we all let Jesus’ speak different today to different Churches. And yet be the same God.
Another example:
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus in Mark
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. NKJV
A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida in Mark 8
25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. NKJV
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight in John 9
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. NKJV
Three different blind men, one He just speaks, two He used spit, one He adds touching him, and one He made a mud pack and told him to go wash.
All three healed by Christ but each case a little different, and the reason is, we are all a little different.
I don’t know if you haven’t noticed but the world is going to hell, and we are arguing about what translation of the Bible is the right one.
It’s the one Paul carried; HE WAS WRITING IT AT THE TIME.
Along with other inspired men of God and it was not in 1611, it was in the first century.
All we have are TRANSLATIONS of the original Word of God.
I believe that God loves us all the same. I also believe that He treats us all different because we are all different, so why do you think if everyone is not like us that they are wrong. Here is something to ponder, what if it is you… that is wrong?
So, after pondering on this for a while I have come to realize it was my fault,
I should have checked… what I was taught.
from my book, “Something to Ponder.”
