Excuse Me

Introduction

I've done it. You've done it. The first person on the face of this Earth did it. Even Moses and Elijah did it. That's right. I'm talking about making excuses.

Man Invented Excuses

My first point is simple: Man invented excuses, not God. We're all familiar with the story of how the serpent deceived Eve (and Adam) into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, Adam said [The man said,] "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." In Genesis 3:12 (NASB). The first man made the first excuse for the first sin and its been that way ever since.

Two Kinds of Excuses

There are two broad categories of excuses men try to use on God. The first are excuses for doing something wrong, for sin, as in Genesis 3. The second are excuses for not doing something that God wants. Consider Exodus 3 and 4 where Moses gives God four excuses for why he should not be the one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Excuses Show a Problem with Self

We make excuses out of selfishness. Listen: I'm too tired. I'm too busy. I can't do that. I'm scared. I'm not good at that. I don't know how to do that. I'm too old. I'm too young. I don't have enough experience. What's the common element? The common element in each of these excuses is "I." When we make excuses for not doing something, we put self in front of God and God will not tolerate it.

No Excuse

When we sin, we need to be man or woman enough to say "God gave me free will. I've sinned. It's my fault. I'm sorry and I'm going to do better." Not making excuses for not doing things, in my opinion, is hard, even for the most motivated person. However, when we stop making excuses, we start growing. Just think of how Moses and Aaron grew when they stopped making excuses and blaming others. Think of Philippians 4:13 (NASB) "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me," and Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"

As a final bit of practical advice, there's a test I use to determine when I'm making an excuse. I replace "I" with "God." For example, "I'm scared" becomes "God's scared" which is ridiculous and tells me that I'm thinking too much about myself and making excuses.

Invitation

Men have always made excuses for sin and not doing good. At the judgment, men will still be making excuses. Maybe you're not a Christian and ready to stop making excuses and start walking in righteousness. Maybe you're a Christian that has made some excuses but you're ready to put them away and return God to His proper place of eminence in your life.