Nov
16
Handle Your Responsibilities
Filed Under Devotional
If you are a man, then God has some responsibilities planned for you. You will probably hold a job, at some point, where you are being trusted to perform your tasks without perpetual supervision or you may be trusted to manage or lead other people. It is your responsibility to do the best you can in that position.
If you are married, God has transferred responsibility of your wife to you. He will ask you to account for her when the Day comes. You cannot claim blindness or powerlessness.
If you are a father, God has given you responsibility of your children. That responsibility changes over time, but He will ask you to account for them, too.
I thought about the weight of this responsibility as I read about Eli. Here was a man of God who did all the right things as a priest. He had the responsibility to train his sons to do the same. He gave them responsibility to minister to the people as they came to worship and sacrifice to God. But…
“Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord.” 1 Samuel 2:12
Eli heard about this and gave them a stern talking to, but they didn’t change. Eli had probably missed the opportunity to correct them and discipline them earlier in their lives. By this time, though, they had no interest in following God. As you read the story, you’ll notice Eli did not remove them from their positions, either. He let it slide.
God noticed. He passed along a message to Eli via another man of God:
“Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?” 1 Samuel 2:29
There’s a convicting statement: “Why do you honor your sons more than me?” Eli was being held responsible for the sin of his sons because he had an opportunity to correct it. Eli chose, instead, to let God be secondary to what his sons wanted.
It can be hard to correct our children at the moment or even soon thereafter. But, Eli’s example shows that it’s next to impossible to correct much later. Don’t let misbehavior linger. Don’t let it slide. Don’t be left standing before God having to answer for your responsibilities with nothing better than a shrug.