Ezekiel 3: 18 - 'When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.'
30 years ago, a young woman was traveling home from Colorado to Montana via Highway. She was pulled over on a long stretch of highway by a police officer because she was traveling 88 miles an hour in a 55 mile an hour speed zone. This is immediate grounds for incarceration and having her car impounded. The police officer took her to his vehicle, showed her the citation - and surprised her by saying, 'You're free to go, I'm just gonna give you a ticket. He let this girl go, knowing she could've been in jail.
Later down the road, the officer realizes that this girl is missing and has been for quite some time. What the police officer didn't now was, the girl would be abducted and he was the last person to see her alive before her murderer did! On one hand, I can see if he had placed her in custody, some would frown on that because of her circumstances however, she would be alive today had he done the right thing by locking her up!
We live in a world that refuses to take responsibility for our actions...we'd rather blame others or call our sins and conditions medical terms; insinuating that we couldn't help ourselves. Listen, standards there are to keep us safe from immediate danger.
To this day, the policeman is still tormented by the notion, he let this woman go, only to fall into the hands of Sadistic killer. Have you ever had a lapse in responsibility? This is more than physical provisions, this is spiritual.
Think with me, the police officer didn't murder this woman, he didn't cause her death, but he could've prevented it!! The same is true for you and me when it comes to our spheres of influence. We may not cause the demise of our brothers or sisters in Christ, our children, and / or spouse...but we can possibly prevent it by taking action in responsibility.
You can never be too careful when it comes to assuming responsibility; for yourself, your marriage, your children, and your relationship with Jesus Christ.
