No 'Sour Grapes' Excuses - Crosswalk the Devotional - September 5

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Crosswalk the Devotional]( No 'Sour Grapes' Excuses by Doug Stringer As children, we all had a tendency to excuse our own bad behaviors, or to project or shift blame when we were caught doing something we shouldn’t have been doing. It’s only with maturity that we become willing to accept responsibility for our own actions. As a mentor and friend, the late Dr. Edwin Louis Cole, used to say, “Maturity is not based on age, but on the willingness to accept responsibility.” I believe it is a lifelong challenge to decide which choices we will make and what our character will be when we are confronted with our own frailty. We all make mistakes, but what do we do after that mistake has been brought to light? If we are honest with God and with ourselves, we can grow in maturity in those moments. Or, like children, we can try to shift blame to someone or something else. In my early years of ministry, I was intrigued with the meaning and correlation of the following scriptures: [Jeremiah 31:29-30]( “In those days they shall say no more: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” [Ezekiel 18:2]( “What do you mean when you use this proverb . . . ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?” For the sake of brevity, I won’t attempt to go line upon line explaining all the surrounding verses that provide the context for these scriptures, though I would encourage you to take the time to read the full chapters. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [10 Things You Should Know about Jesus Christ]( Sam Storms The name of Jesus is all too often a cussword, a casual throwaway, an exclamation of frustration or anger, or at times something far worse. It is stunning to think that the most powerful, most beautiful, most loving, most truthful person in the universe, indeed, the very creator of this universe, could be treated with such ugly contempt. Here in vv. 15-20 Paul provides us with 10 reasons why Jesus is and must be acknowledged as preeminent in all things. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Why Your Work Matters... and Why it Doesn't]( Kelly Givens As Christians, the questions of calling and vocation become even more challenging when we factor God’s will into the equation. However, our career might not be as important to God as we think. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [Unsubscribe from All Emails]( © 2018 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](