By Austin Bishop
1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’.”
— Ezekiel 33:1-6 (NKJV)
How much responsibility do you really have in the life decisions of others? Many would say none, while some would say little. But is that really true?
No, we cannot make someone see the truth, but we do have a responsibility to share what we know. And, oftentimes it needs to be done with urgency in order for disaster to be averted.
Let me share an example with you. If you lived on a street where a bridge was out, and you knew for sure that if travelers kept going that way it would end in disaster, do you have any responsibility to share that information? If so, how deeps does that responsibility run?
If you tell them the bridge is out and they keep going that direction, do you just shrug your shoulders and say to yourself, “oh, well, I told them?” Is that the end of your responsibility?
How far should you go to relay the information? Are you willing to show them photos of the bridge being out, provide them with documentation that they are headed toward danger, and even at times be prepared to stand in the middle of the road waving your arms and pleading with them to turn around?
Would you go so far as to share your own experiences about going down that very road and how you were rescued from disaster?
No, you cannot make someone go down the right road. You can’t prevent them from self-destruction. It is not your responsibility to live their lives. But, we are to share what we know in the best way we know how to help others see the truth.
You can’t lead someone in the right direction by shouting at them angrily and telling them how stupid they are for not seeing the signs and expect them to listen. But you can point out the dangers down the road with genuine love and concern.
As a Christian, you are a watchman. You are not responsible for the decisions of others, but you are called to share what you know. Standing idly by while others zoom to self-destruction should never be an option.
Austin Bishop is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and has been a journalist for 50 years. Those wishing to receive his daily devotional/Bible study notes may text their name to 601-938-2471.
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