I feel like we are supposed to dig into the idea of spiritual responsibility for the next couple of weeks. This series is called Yours, Mine, and Ours. I want us to go through the Word together and determine what is God’s responsibility (Yours), what is our individual responsibility as Christ followers (Mine), and what has He called us to do collectively, alongside Him (Ours).

I started thinking about different scriptures where God details the idea of responsibility. He has clear plans to use us in accomplishing His will. Even in 2020! Today, we are going to define what things are solely God’s responsibility.

Creation – God alone gets credit for making every living thing. Out of His incredible creativity, He spoke and things were. He dreamed up the oceans, trees, mountains, penguins, lady bugs, and rainbows – just to love on us and show us how good He is. Then He dreamed up you. From the very beginning of time, He knew what you would look like and when He wanted you to be born to impact the earth. You are the pinnacle of His creation and He is responsible for the awesomeness that is you!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” (Genesis 1:1 NLT).

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him,” (Colossians 1:16 ESV).

Salvation – God knew that we would be incapable of saving ourselves. He knew that we would choose sin that would lead us to death. In God’s mercy, He provided us with a completely pure sacrifice. Jesus’ death and resurrection was a one-time event that made it possible for any and all who believe in Him to be saved. He is in passionate pursuit of every single one of us all the time. We are not anyone’s savior – only Jesus is qualified for that job.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16 NIV).

“There is no one else who has the power to save us, for there is only one name to whom God has given authority by which we must experience salvation: the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:12 TPT).

Judgement – God is the only One qualified to judge our hearts. He is completely pure and knows every intimate detail about us. Jesus tells us to judge a person’s character by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20) but that is different than us determining someone’s eternal fate. We will all stand before God to be judged for our choices. I am thankful that Jesus covers our sin and knowing Him puts us in right standing with God.

“For the Lord is our judge,
    the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
    it is he who will save us,” (Isaiah 33:22 NIV).

“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare—before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body,” (2 Corinthians 5:10 TLB).

God’s Will & Plan – God has a good and perfect plan for every one of us. I believe that He gives us free will and the ability to make choices. But I also know that He has a plan and things that He wants to accomplish on this earth. His plan is His responsibility (and whether we feel like it or not) He knows what He is doing.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope,” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).

“Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10).

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows,” (Mark 13:32 NLT).

We have zero responsibility to create life, save souls, judge hearts, or plan things out for God. Those responsibilities fall on God’s very wide, very capable shoulders. And thank goodness! We can sit under His covering and trust Him.

I signed up to receive Marsha Burns’ daily prophetic emails years ago. She hits the nail on the head and reads our mail almost every day! You can sign up for her emails here. When I woke up this morning (Saturday) I had this email from her:

“When you evaluate what you are stressed about, you will find that most of that tension comes from things you have no control over. Take action where you have responsibility and authority, and let go of the rest. Release to Me those things that concern you. I can do what you cannot. Trust Me. Matthew 11:29-30 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

If that wasn’t the exact confirmation that I needed! We are headed the right direction, friends. Next week, we will be discussing what things He has charged us with. He has given us quite a bit of responsibility in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven down to the earth. I hope that it will be challenging and encouraging for you.

Love,

Tif