07. Stop Giving Excuses
God’s Bucket List for You, part 4
One of the biggest anchors
we have, that’s holding us back from doing anything, is the excuse. Instead of
moving forward, with confidence, we backpedal and choose to give reasons why we
can’t do something. As part of God’s Bucket List for you, He wants you to stop
giving excuses.
The Excuses of Moses
Excuse #1:
(Ex. 3:11) Who am I to go to Pharaoh? Moses saw himself as an
insignificant individual compared to the power and might of Pharaoh of Egypt.
God erased this excuse by stating that He would be with him.
As Paul states in Romans
8:31, What then shall
we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? To
know that God is on our side, we can have the confidence to do what He asks.
Excuse #2:
(Ex. 4:1) But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice…
Again, lacking the confidence, he didn’t think that his own people would
believe that he spoke to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God erased this
excuse by allowing Moses to perform signs (miracles) before the children of
Israel as proof.
The apostles did the same
thing in the New Testament to prove that they were chosen of God; having walked
with Jesus, and that what they say is from God Almighty.
Excuse #3:
(Ex. 4:10) …I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. Moses declared
himself not to be an eloquent speaker and, therefore, unable to persuade
Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go. God erased this excuse by stating the
He would tell Moses what to say.
While the apostles were
filled with the Holy Spirit, and moved to speak what was given them, the other
disciples had to study God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15) to find out what to say to
others.
Excuse #4:
(Ex. 4:13) “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may
send.” Even after all of the encouragement God gave Moses; erasing the
previous excuses, he still wanted Him to send someone else instead. This
kindled God’s anger, and He erased this final excuse by showing him that his
brother, Aaron, was coming to meet him. Being a well-spoken man, God would be
with both Moses and Aaron when they went to speak to Pharoah.
There is safety in numbers,
and this might be the reason why Jesus sent out His disciples in pairs during
the limited commission (Lk. 10:1). Should one falter in conversation, the other
will be there to continue it. Together, you’re there for moral support of one
another.
Those Invited to the Great Supper
In the end, the man had his
servants go out and bring in the lame, the poor, the maimed, and the blind. In
addition, they persuaded others to come in to fill up the room. The man’s final
statement in verse 24, ‘For
I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’
This was clearly a message to
the Pharisees, and others, who saw themselves as “God’s chosen” but wouldn’t do
what was asked of them. It reminds me of what the apostle Paul said in Acts
13:46, Then Paul and
Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should
be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy
of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
What about Our Excuses?
We, ourselves, have numerous
excuses in doing what’s asked of us:
The Worship Service:
“I’ll attend the morning service, but there’s no scripture for an evening
service.” Truth be told, there isn’t a scripture for any particular start time
for a worship service. We know they gathered on the First Day of the Week (Acts
20:7). It’s called The Lord’s Day not the Lord’s Hour (Heb. 10:24-25). Make the
effort to attend every time that the doors are open.
Bible Study: “I
can’t study the bible, it’s so difficult and daunting. Besides, no one can
understand it alike.” Agreed, that it can be difficult, at times, but one must
make the attempt to actually get somewhere with it. Ask someone in your
congregation, who’s a better student, to help you in your studies. You don’t
have to do it alone.
As for understanding it
alike, we can and must. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:10, Now I plead with you, brethren, by
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that
there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in
the same mind and in the same judgment. Paul says we can understand
alike. We just have to make sure we don’t go beyond what is written (1 Cor.
4:6).
Sharing the Gospel:
“I’d like to tell people about the gospel, but they’ll probably just say,
‘No’.” That’s understandable but you’ll never know unless you try. Someone
shared the gospel with you, and you obeyed, now it’s time for you to share it
with others. The key is not to get discouraged by 100 “No’s” to find the one
“Yes”. We are commanded to share the gospel (Mt. 28:19).
Conclusion
Overall, you must remember
that everything you do is for God and not to be seen of men (Mt. 6). Paul wrote
in Galatians 1:10, For
do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still
pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Paul
writes, Finally then,
brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and
more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God. If
we want to be well-pleasing to God, we need to quit making excuses and do what
is asked of us. It’s not as hard as we’d like it to be. Just be willing to ask
someone for help. You don’t have to do any of this alone.
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