Tsunami Devotional by Steve Keaton
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Title: Excuses, Excuses
Text: Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
I can do all everything through him who gives me strength.
Wow! Have we become a society of excuse makers or what? It seems like we can come up with an excuse for just about anything. We’ve all heard the “The dog ate my homework excuse” haven’t we? When I was a cop in Charlotte I sure did hear some wild ones from some of the guys that I would arrest. Whether it was the guy who drove his car through the front of a closed store to make change in the cash register so that his daughter wouldn’t have to take a $5 bill to school to pay for lunch the next day, or the guy who I ticketed for driving 65 in a 35 mile per hour zone because his shoelace got caught on the accelerator, even though he was wearing slip-on shoes. The list could go on forever.
Even in our day-to-day lives we tend to sometimes work harder to come up with a high-quality excuse than simply give the effort to accomplish what we need to do. It could be getting out of work, why not to do our homework, find some reason to not have to cut the grass and so on. Sometimes it could just be laziness I guess. Believe me, I can often identify with this. I am not the biggest fan of doing the yard work, and will usually daydream about excuses I could come up with to get out of it. But when it comes down to it, it is still my responsibility. Then when I get out in the yard and get the grass cut, the driveway edged and the weeds ate, I usually feel a sense of accomplishment and I’m glad I did the work that needed to be done.
Unfortunately excuses seem to be a common occurrence when it comes to our faith as well. Have you heard the old adage, “In the church 20% of the people do 80% of the work.”? That’s probably because it often seems like the other 80% of the people are sitting on their big “Buts”. You know what I mean. “I’d love to be a part of that committee, BUT I just don’t have the time. Oh, I would be glad to teach that Sunday School class, BUT I don’t really feel comfortable talking in front of people.” The BUTS go on forever. Excuses sometimes flow like the thousands of gallons of rolling whitewater over Niagara Falls. We have all said them in some form or fashion. “I’m too old. I’m too young. I’m too tired. I’m too busy. It could be dangerous. I don’t know enough about the Bible. I’m not cool enough. I’m too cool for that. It is too far away. My friends aren’t going. I’m afraid they will not like me. I don’t want people to think I’m a freak. It is not fun enough.” I’m sure we can add a couple of hundred more. Excuses have just become a part of lives. And we seem to have no problem coming up with an excuse to not be the people God has formed us to be. But if we would do those things, the sense of accomplishment and purpose would truly help us to know that this is the life we are supposed to be experiencing.
You see we are all created by the architect of the universe. The same one who placed the stars in the sky, lined up the planets and started them in motion and carved the Grand Canyon is the same one that formed us on the divine potter’s wheel. We have all been formed to be the reflection of Christ in this world, and that means it is our responsibility to put aside our excuses and do whatever God needs us to do whenever God needs us to do it. Whether it is serving on mission team or being a part of regular fellowship of other believers. It could be sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with someone else or standing up for a person who is being treated unjustly. There is just no excuse good enough for not doing what we should do. It is our calling to do all of these things and more. And if we would drop the excuses and draw closer to God we would begin to find strength in the fact that we can do all things through the strength of Jesus Christ that flows through our veins, fills our lungs and brings coherent thought to our brains. Hear me again; nothing is impossible when God is in the mix. If God calls us, God will give us all the things we need to accomplish the task we face. Even it that task means stepping out if our comfort zone and doing something a little wild and crazy for Christ. Isn’t that the example that Jesus set for us? Didn’t he dance with danger, step on toes and cause a buzz everywhere he went? I bet that Jesus, if he had the chance, would have even done a cannonball on the shallow end of the pool. And never did an excuse form in his brain or cross his lips.
I think it is time to put the excuses aside. Let’s step to the edge and face the opportunities that lye in front of us and jump headfirst into the life that God has planned for us. And then and only then will be begin to feel the strength that God promises those who authentically and passionate follow.
Something to Think About:
- What are the things that you usually come up with excuses to get out of?
- What areas of your faith do you most make excuses to get out of? Sharing your faith? Being a part of fellowship with other Christ-Followers? Spending time in prayer & study?
- What are the real reasons for making excuses in those areas?
- What does the knowing that you can do all things through the strength of Christ mean to you?
A Few Minutes with God:
God, please move in my life and help me to stop making excuses and start making a difference for you in this world. Help me to push out of my comfort zone and embrace the fact that you have called me to do amazing and sometimes even wild and crazy things for you. I pray that I will no longer make excuses to get out of doing what I know I need to do as a follower of you. I am yours and I want to do whatever you need me to do, whenever you need me to do it. That is exactly what you have done for me. Amen.
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