"Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.' "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Webster defines responsibility as “condition, quality, fact, or instance of being responsible; obligation, accountability, dependability, etc.” One of the primary character traits the Lord is looking for in Christians, along with faithfulness, is responsibility. In fact, it is difficult, if not impossible to be faithful apart from being responsible. Unfortunately, society has downplayed the importance of personal responsibility and parents have ascribed to the notion that their children are victims of other’s acts instead of perpetrators of their own sins. Scripture is full of accounts of people who chose to disobey and were punished accordingly. We can learn valuable lessons from these examples.
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No one would contest the fact that the children of Israel were an unruly, ungrateful, grumbling group of people. One can only imagine what it would have been like to be their leader.
Pastors, teachers, parents, husbands, fathers are all examples of people God has placed in authority. Let us never forget that with privilege comes responsibility, and should there be a failure, there should also be a punishment.
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"...with privilege comes responsibility..." That is so true! Responsibility is a character trait we need to build into the lives of our children and also exhibit in our own lives. What methods have you found to build and exhibit the character trait of responsibility?
Come and Gather: Family Time With God published with permission
Pastor Jeremy Sweatt, Farmington Avenue Baptist Church, West Hartford, Connecticut
16 Comments
1/28/2020 09:19:21 am
I used to hold back from positions of responsibility because I was afraid of them--afraid of messing up, of failing. But I try to let that make me all the more dependent on God. He's had to give me some gentle nudges sometimes to step out of my comfort zone.
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1/28/2020 01:57:43 pm
You're so right, Barbara! That does make us more dependent on God, and that's a good thing. Stepping out of our comfort zones is tough. I know! And I know about those gentle nudges too. :)
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1/28/2020 10:01:47 am
With responsibility comes accountability. Thanks for illustrating this so well. This is definitely an important character quality to teach our young people!
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1/28/2020 02:00:19 pm
Yes, Donna, instilling in our children the character trait of responsibility is so important! So many other commendable character traits hinge on this one.
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1/28/2020 09:51:24 pm
I'm glad there are such a variety of stories about Moses. We see all phases of his journey, many of which we can relate to as well (some good, some bad!). I've been in Leviticus and Numbers in my daily Bible reading and I've particularly noticed how often Moses fell on his face in worship or used his body in other ways to serve the Lord.
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1/29/2020 05:59:47 am
He lived quite the interesting life, and got to see God! That's the most amazing part! And dealing with all those unruly, grumbling and complaining Israelites for all those years!!! WoW!
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1/29/2020 03:33:43 pm
I'm so grateful that the Lord was merciful with Moses when he hit the rock instead of speaking to it. But it breaks my heart that he had to face this stiff consequence because of it. There are many, many times I know I've blown it probably worse than Moses did here with my own kids--who are now adults. And I'm facing some of the fallout and consequences from my wrong and sinful choices now. Still, God has also been merciful to me in this as well. My kids all love the Lord and are productive, successful adults. They just sometimes give me the stink-eye or a run for my money and I know and believe it's what I deserve for some of my wrong choices! So I commit to hoping and praying God continues to do a redemptive work in all of our lives! Pinning and tweeting, my friend!
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1/30/2020 07:43:21 am
"I commit to hoping and praying God continues to do a redemptive work in all of our lives!" <— We should all be praying that! His mercy is so vast and so GREAT! I cannot comprehend it!
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1/30/2020 07:44:04 am
Yes, we do Lauren. In many ways they were just like us.
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1/31/2020 09:04:50 am
I pay close attention to the cautionary words of Scripture about the weight of accountability that comes with leadership.
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1/31/2020 09:24:21 am
Yes, Michele, it's a heavy weight and caution is due!
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1/2/2021 02:02:31 pm
Thanks, Maree! The Character Trait worksheet is one of my favorites! :) Thank you for sharing, friend!
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