Excuses, What Is Yours?

People used to say, “Excuse me,” as a gesture of courtesy, but now it is a method of getting around personal responsibility. In Luke chapter 9, we read where three men were given a chance to follow Jesus, and each gave a different excuse for saying no (Luke 9:57-62).

Our Lord Jesus has made it very clear that by following Him, you may have to do without. There may be hardships that come your way if you are going to follow Jesus. The Christian life is not some feast; it is a battle. For the Christian, you don’t have to look for trouble; trouble comes looking for you.

In the church and among Christians, we can find all sorts of excuses for not obeying God’s will or calling. Once after preaching about excuses, believe it or not, I had several excuses made. Some excuses I have heard are, “It’s the preacher’s job.” “It’s not my gift.” “I’ve already served; let someone else do it.” One of the biggest excuses I hear is, “I’m too busy, or I’ve got too much going on.” We are very skillful at the talent of making excuses, aren’t we?

I like what Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Friends, when we commit to Jesus, He expects us to burn our bridges. We must forget about “self” and be more concerned about what God wants us to do.  When it comes to serving God or serving in God’s kingdom work, we must realize that delayed obedience is instant disobedience. Many people take the “w” off of the word “now” and are left with the word “no” as their excuse.

The bottom line is God expects obedience immediately, and immediate obedience is the only appropriate response when God calls. What excuse have you made lately? Have you committed to doing something and then come up with an excuse for not wanting to do it? We must remember that God knows our intentions and hearts; there is no excuse when serving God. I like Paul’s cry in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Amen!