Christian, take responsibility for your own life

by | Nov 12, 2017 | Editor's Muse, Faith & Logic | 0 comments

One of the hardest parts of religion to understand is the forgiveness of sins. Even atheists say in jest that “people shouldn’t go unpunished because they said a prayer to sky daddy.” I personally believe in consequences and responsibility. This is the reason I never use the existence of forgiveness as an excuse. Neither do I get so worked up that bad people turn to Jesus.

Number one, you are not in a position to get worked up about the magnitude of other people’s corruption. After all, it’s not your blood that will get used up or finished while washing the dark miry souls of sinners. Measuring yourself with other people is the beginning of folly and somehow folly is linked to disbelief in God. Check out those who are in error, they are always pointing fingers.

They say “what of this other people, what about them?” Whether atheist or believer, human nature has a close affinity with the Lord of demons. We are never satisfied with changing who we chose to be. I made a fictional post recently. It was about two boys who had to choose between sweeping and washing dishes. The one who chose dishes turned around midway and started having a migraine over the work he had to do compared to his brother.

Comparison

See purity is a choice, you made a choice not to fornicate, rob, kill or envy your neighbour. It’s absolutely insane to try to tell God how to handle people who repented of that. You will eventually lose your faith if you keep on going down that road. The prodigal son had a brother who had this kind of mindset. He said “Father, I have been here with you all along. Why kill a fat animal for my brother’s return?”

He didn’t understand that he also had a choice to go prodigal. He had every choice to be wayward but didn’t choose it. Now he wants to dictate how those who made that choice should be treated. Wait, is it your blood? Are you the one giving out salvation?

Mary and Martha were sisters who both had options on how to approach Jesus when he visited. Martha leapt into the kitchen, probably to prove she was wife material but Mary was a feminist. Mary simply went to the lectures and got a shining degree from Harvard Jesus Feet University. Martha was enraged. She went to ask Jesus if he didn’t see the kind of effort she had been putting into her wife material development ministry. Jesus is not blind ma! I am sure he sees all the sacrifices you are making. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that is your choice, not Mary’s choice. Everybody has to live with the implications and consequences of their own choices. Trying to drag people into your wagon is only counterproductive.

Make Your Choice and Take Responsibility

You may have decided that what works for you is eating and sleeping all day and night in the church. Don’t be pained by Africans like me who believe in the gospel of going into this rotting post-slavery, post-colonial system. We believe in fighting as much of the decay as we can. Don’t even let me hear your groaning and moaning about Christians who go into politics and are not coming to your village evangelism. That is how you chose to serve God. There is nothing like “maybe they can’t hear God the way I do, your ears can only hear so much. Focus on your own hearing!”

There was a time that Jesus talked about hiring labourers. The people came in at various hours; some were born into the labour force (Pastor’s kid), others ran wild for years sowing their oats, a number still joined when they were about to die. Do you know how the payment structure was determined? Equal share! Freaking equal share my friend!

I am sure the Master must have looked at the grumblers and said if you don’t want the money then throw it away! There is an equal agreement with every human, you are given a token of life and you can decide how you want to use it. Be responsible for your choices and make sure you find salvation along the line. How you find it, where you find it or who gives it to you does not matter.

Consequences

In this world, there will be consequences. If you steal and you are caught, fellow Christians should not be accessories to your crime. Nobody made that choice with you. The best they can do is to help you face your consequences. It’s the same with salvation, nobody should sit around measuring or counting your sins so that Jesus can reconsider. The gospel of consequences is as valid as the gospel of forgiveness of sins, employing your brain is what has kept you out of jail so far so why do you think God doesn’t want you to understand that there are consequences?

Be responsible for your church activities too! Don’t go to church 24/7 and then after losing your job, nail it on persecution. It’s not at that point you start imagining that those who don’t pay tithes are prospering illegally, that God will still punish them somehow. You are the one that will be receiving a double punishment here and in the life after. You were given a government contract and you sowed 70% to your church, pocketed 10% and gave 20% to the dealer, remember there are consequences. Whatever choice you make as a Christian is your responsibility, stop going to God’s temple to remind him about how you pray three times a day, deny yourself sexual pleasures and are still treated the same way as those who don’t do those things!

Jesus is all that matters

Whoever will look on the exalted Christ, irrespective of their tribe, political situation, job placement, an automobile brand, tenant or landlord, housewife or working wife, houseboy or millionaire, Jesus is not going to deny anybody his blood. It’s his blood, after all, it has no expiry date, neither do you need a visa or ticket to use it. Face your pattern of life squarely, if yours does not deny the saving grace of Christ, then allow others take responsibility for how they serve God. The only place you are allowed to interfere is in the preaching of salvation, which many of us don’t even do. You don’t need to say Lord’s prayer under this post if you think salvation is your next step, just go and do it and stop being a spoilt prodigal!

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