SIN: RESPONSIBILITY

John 3:19-21—This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

Why is our civilization morally crumbling? Why is our country trapped in the quicksand of evil? Why is our society torn by the passions of selfishness? Why is our culture enamored with what is wicked? Could it be that we are adorned in the clothing of excuses to mask our responsibility for sin? Paul Harvey, the famous radio commentator shared a prayer, Pastor Joe Wright of the Wichita Central Christian Church gave at an invocation for the Kansas state legislature. Joe’s prayer was immediately denounced by the governor of Kansas and several legislators stormed out in anger. This prayer has much to say. I hope it will stir your heart as it stirred mine.
“Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know that Your Words says, “Woe be to those who call evil as good,” and that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium, and we’ve inverted our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word in the name of moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multi-culturalism, and we’ve endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
Father, in the name of choice, we’ve killed our unborn, and then in the name of right-to-life we’ve executed the abortionist. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it taxes. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called in enlightenment. Search us, O God. Know our hearts today. Try us, and show us any wickedness in us. And then cleanse us from every sin, and set us free!
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas and who have been ordained by You to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule, and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will. I ask it in the name of Your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Inspiration
God nowhere holds a man responsible for having inherited the disposition of sin any more than he is held responsible for being born. We have nothing to do with our birth or with what we inherit, because we had no choice in either . . . God holds each one responsible for not allowing Jesus Christ to deliver him from the wrong disposition when he sees that that is what He came to do. A man gets the seal of condemnation when he sees the light and prefers darkness.—Oswald Chambers in Conformed to His Image