Good morning. It is Tuesday, January 14th, 2025. I hear some of the best excuses from our students when it comes to turning in late papers. They are both creative and imaginative. In the book of Luke, there is a parable about the Kingdom that begins with an invitation to a wedding feast. Here, we find three excuses that cost some people everything. Read on…
Today's Reading:
Genesis 34,35,36; Luke 14
Scripture
But they all began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come’ (Luke 14:18-20).
Observation
They all sound valid, but we read in verse 24 a chilling answer: “I tell you that not one of these who were invited will get even a taste of my banquet.”
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One prized his investments in real estate above his investment in relationships.
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A second was enamored with his newly purchased possession and couldn’t wait even a day to try it out.
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A third didn’t want the attention taken off their own wedding to put the emphasis on and celebrate another’s.
Application
What are my excuses when Jesus asks me to do something that might require a change in me or my thinking? What are the creative justifications I use to excuse myself from the need to obey? They can seem so righteous and valid, but I wonder how often we use righteous reasoning to excuse unrighteous motives.
Prayer
Father, please help me to maintain a heart of integrity, to examine myself and scrutinize my motives. It’s so easy (and so human) to be like adolescent students who put more effort into their excuses than into their responsibilities. Help me to grow beyond that and serve You with a sincere “yes” rather than a creative explanation for a “no” … because that one excuse could cost me everything.
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