Excused Filled Society!

From The Heart of Pastor Shane (September 16, 2019)

We have become an excuse filled society.  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 the chance of following 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 go looking 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.  Just after preaching about excuses, believe it or not, I had several excuses made to me.  Some excuses I have heard, “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, “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 make a commitment to Jesus, he expects us to burn all of 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 came up with an excuse on why you don’t want to do it?  We must remember, that God knows our intentions and our hearts, there is no excuse when it comes to serving God.  I like Paul’s cry in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Amen!

~Pastor Shane

Disclaimer: Pastor Shane's devotions are written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God and are never intended to be directed toward any one individual or group or any particular situation. These daily devotions are sent to thousands of subscribers through different mediums and are intended to proclaim truths from the Word of God. Thank you for taking the time to read and please continue to pray for wisdom as Pastor Shane's heart is to write in a spirit of love and to bring life application for every day living to those who are reading. ~Blessings!