August 18

Sin: What Went Wrong?

Blaming others
Genesis 3:10-13

Read the Bible through:
AM - Psalm 119:1-88 : PM - Romans 8:18-39

Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate (Gen. 3:12).

A man named Jim Bakker was the head of an enormous multimillion-dollar religious empire. As sometimes happens with those who rise to such heights of power, Bakker fell. He lost everything: his empire, his money, his home, his reputation. At midlife, Bakker received a prison sentence of 45 years on charges related to his PTL/Heritage USA ministry.

Prison brought further losses: freedom, dignity, even his wife. But that experience also revolutionized Jim Bakker. In 1996, he wrote a book simply titled I was Wrong. In it he said, "As the true impact of Jesus' words regarding money impacted my heart and mind, I became physically nauseated. I was wrong. I was wrong! Wrong in my lifestyle, certainly, but even more fundamentally, wrong in my understanding of the Bible's true message. Not only was I wrong, but I was teaching the opposite of what Jesus had said."

Father, it is so easy to blame others for my wrong choices. May I surrender my pride and admit when I am wrong.