Introduction
Among the great enemies of human progress/success are excuses, not only witches and wizards. Through excuses, many destinies have been truncated. How many great men have remained small because of excuses? May you be delivered from excuses. The negative power of excuses cannot be over emphasised. A man who readily gives excuses can never be ready for something great.
A radio station in America running a series about honesty stated that people use three types of excuses when they are guilty of wrongdoing.
These are:
• I did not do it. This is outright denial, a rejection of any involvement. Sometimes, this is done even though the person is obviously guilty.
• “It’s not my fault.” The person looks around for someone to blame. Sometimes, it is a loved one, be it a husband, or wife, or parent or the boss.
• “I did it, but… “In this instance, the person blames circumstances for his shortcoming. It is either he’s been struggling with some illness or the assignment wasn’t clear or the car’s been giving him trouble. That is why most flat tires occur on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons according to statistics. Why these particular times? Monday mornings are when most people don’t want to go to work and Friday afternoons are when most people don’t want to go back home directly. Excuses are dangerous to both our physical and spiritual well-being. Beware of excuses.
The Three Foolish Excuses -Luke 14:18-20.
In the parable of the Great Supper Jesus shared in Luke 14, the Lord seems to show that the temptations of life lie in three directions. It is also clear that what hinders us are not necessarily bad things. Good things can hinder the man or woman who loves to give excuses. The three excuses here concern;
Our Property (Vs18)
As Christians, we are pilgrims and strangers, with no settled piece of land to call our own, with no stake in the country, with no accumulation in the bank. We reach out our hands towards the city that hath foundations (Heb. 11:10,13-16). But when we buy a field, we are often preoccupied and engrossed with it, and all it stands for. It is very possible that good things like buildings or properties can hinder us from focusing on God. If we are not careful, our affections can be on our possessions rather than on things above (Col 3:1-4)
Our Activities (vs19)
There is nothing wrong in having a team of oxen; on the contrary, it is a great and noble thing to plough up the virgin soil and to make the corn grow for the sustenance of millions of our fellow men. But all these can preoccupy our minds and become the basis of our excuses. We can become so deeply interested, that we have no time or energy for anything else. These are not negative things, but building urbane and polite excuses around them can lead to a practical refusal, “I pray Thee have me excused.”
Shepherdhill Baptist Church, (Sanctuary of Grace & Glory), Baptist Academy Compound, Obanikoro, Lagos.
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Email:revkristilere@yahoo.com
