Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
Excuses, excuses, excuses, we all make them! It started with Adam; it continues today. Instead of taking responsibility for our actions, it is often more convenient to just blame someone else. But neither you, nor I, will be able to stand before the throne of God and say, “It’s not my fault that I didn’t follow Jesus and did not do His will. My parents were not there for me. The pastor did not give me his attention. The hypocrites in the church were too many. God did not give me what I needed.” Those excuses just won’t fly.
You can’t blame your bad choices on anyone else. You are responsible for you. So, begin taking responsibility for your life, especially for your spiritual life.
This was the lesson Jesus taught His disciples in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). Ten maidens went out to meet the bridegoom, according to the custom of the day. But when the bridegroom was delayed, all ten slumbered and slept. Then suddenly, at midnight, they were awakened to the cry:
“‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'”
Please note. Their being shut out was not because the foolish maidens didn’t have lamps; they did. Nor because they did not have money to buy oil for their lamps; they had. Neither was it because oil wasn’t available to be purchased; it was. They were simply irresponsible. They did not treat serious things seriously. What a costly, and completely avoidable, mistake!
In a similar manner, Scripture declares, God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We are complete in Him. And by His divine promises, He has provided us with everything we need for life and godliness. In short, like these five foolish maidens, if we are not doing the will of God and fulfilling His purpose for our lives, it won’t be due to any failure on God’s part to put at our disposal everything we need. No, it will be because we did not take serious things seriously. We acted irresponsibly.
Having acted irresponsibly, at the last minute, they turned to the wise maidens for help, but the answer they got was no. The oil these wise maidens had in their lamps was not enough to share. But before you accuse them of being selfish, rememeber Jesus praised them for being wise. They weren’t being selfish; they were just being responsible.
Child of God, not all things can be shared; not all things are transferable in the kingdom. There are some decisions no one can make for you. When it comes to your personal relationship with Jesus, your willingness to rely on Him, your surrender to the Holy Spirit, and your growth in the knowledge of Him, you are responsible for you. I am responsible for me. Grace is God’s gift to you. But what you do with the grace of God–that’s up to you. Act responsibly!
A Moment of Grace 
Amen God please help me to be responsible for my life.