RESPONSIBILITY

"Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility"
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Judgment-A formal utterance of an authoritative opinion.
Responsibility-Moral, leagal, or mental accountability.

This quote caught my eye today. It was on (of all things) my box of caffeine free tea I was making. I started to think about the things we are responsible for. The things that I am responsible for I am accountable for, but to who? Morally I am responsible to the people around me. Leagally I am responsible to follow the laws of the state and town I live in. Mentally I am responsible for the chocies I make in my life.
I want to be sure that morally I am doing the things that will please God. God lays down the foundation for our Moral standards in life. Without God in my life where would I learn a standard of living? Does not the bible teach us that we are to abide by the laws of this land? Are we not to give the rulers of our nation support and prayers? Legally I need to be a responsible citizen.
Now what about mental accountability? I have a personal responsibility to God to exercise my "free will" in a way that will please HIM. Everyday, I have to make a choice to follow his way, and live my life in a way that I can be found "Holy and acceptable" in his sight.
God is at the very essence of the aspects of responsibility. You can turn everyone of these aspects selfishly inward, and someone who doesn't believe in God, can find that very easy to do, but for a child of God, our responsibility needs to be focused on HIM.

I want to be able to focus on what God wants me to focus on and not what others are doing/not doing. I want the Judgment in my life to be self focused, and I want to be responsible and accountable for my actions. In this way I will find strength in God.