“How did you happen to hit the other car?” the judge asked sternly.

“Well, Your Honor,” the defendant replied timidly, “it’s actually my wife’s fault. She always tells me how to drive and she happened to fall asleep in the back seat and no one told me where I was supposed to drive.”

Blaming others for our mistakes is as old as history. It started with Adam and Eve and continues to this day. When God asked Adam about his sin, he immediately blamed Eve. Then, Eve blamed the serpent. Not only did Adam blame Eve, but he even included God in his defense. “It was the woman You gave me that made me do it.” Eve followed by saying, “The serpent tricked me and that’s why I ate it.” Ever since then, “the devil made me do it” is our defense.

God knew the truth then and He knows the truth now. He did not accept their excuses then and He will not accept our excuses now. His Word clearly says, “Each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Whoever excuses himself accuses himself. Whenever we break God’s laws and sin, we must be ready to admit what we have done and confess our sin to God. For “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, trouble our minds and convict our hearts of our sins. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-19

A man was appearing before a judge because of an automobile accident. “How did you happen to hit the other car?” he asked.

“Your honor, it was my wife’s fault,” he answered. “She fell asleep in the back seat.”’

This was not a new defense. Adam was the first man to blame his wife for his wrongdoing. When God asked him why he was hiding, and why he disobeyed God, he said, “The woman You gave me, brought me the fruit, and I ate it.” When that didn’t work, he said, “The serpent tricked me.”

Things have not changed much, have they? No one wants to be accountable when they have done something wrong. We think that if we can hide something, the guilt will go away. God saw Adam and Eve and He sees you and me. It seems foolish to think that we can hide from God.

God created us to have fellowship with Him. When Adam and Eve realized they had sinned, they hid from Him. When we realize our sins and recognize the holiness of God, it is natural to want to become invisible. Our normal response is fear because we know that we have failed to live up to His standards of righteousness.

We need to admit our sin. By His grace and because of His mercy, His love is forever drawing us to Him and we can restore the relationship with Him that He wanted us to have.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to accept Your grace and mercy through Jesus Christ and may we live forever in a right relationship with You. Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-19