Who’s Responsible?

     Mrs. Mosby only had a head cold when she went to see Dr. Bradley.  The Dr. gave her a prescription and told her how often to take it.  A few days later she went back to the Dr. complaining that the cold had settled in her chest.  Dr. Bradley prescribed more medicine, but a few days later Mrs. Mosby died.  The Dr. could not figure out what had gone wrong.  He was perplexed.  Two weeks after the funeral Dr. Bradley just happened to meet Mrs. Mosby’s sister and by accident learned that the deceased had not taken one dose of the medicine.  Now the Dr. knew that he was not responsible for his patient’s death. 
     Do you remember the winter of 2000 when heavy rains caused much flooding and deaths across our nation?  One particular incident that stands out in my mind is when a bridge was washed out on Interstate 5 in San Joaquin Valley.  A man stood in the middle of the freeway in the freezing rain waving his arms, shouting for the oncoming cars to stop.  Without taking heed one car sped by him plunging into the raging muddy river below.  All the occupants were killed.  The man standing in the middle of the freeway felt responsible for their deaths…but was he? 
     It’s like this: if someone tells us how to escape trouble and we do not heed their warning, who is responsible for the aftermath?  If we were in a burning building and someone reached out to save us, but we ignored them, who is responsible for our demise?  We are warned that drug abuse will destroy our family, business, and future but if we do not listen, who is responsible for our fate? A person with common sense would respond: “the one who did not heed the warning!”  Only a fool would pass the blame on to someone else. 
     God’s word declares, “If I announce that an evil man is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death.  If you do warn an evil man and he doesn’t stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared” (Ezekiel 3:17-19).  We are responsible for our little neck of the woods and we must hold tight to it no matter what people think or say. 
     Yes, we are answerable to warn others of the consequences of their wrong doings.  Passing the buck or even ignoring our duty is not acceptable.  All of us have a job to do which must be done with ardor.  Many are guilty of blaming their demise on others, but a responsible person is one who will take the blame and strive to change things in his own life.  He sees where he can improve his ways and knows that he can do much better. 
     People need to be told when they are doing wrong and when they are doing right.   God put us on this planet to serve one-another and to be a source of vibrant encouragement when necessary.  If we go silent or turn a blind eye we do others an injustice.  We must look out for those we love and gladly serve them.   For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com

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