Excuses
God invites every one of us to take hold of His promises and to live as His children on this earth. All are invited, wanted and welcome but only a few possess the riches of God's grace.
Let's look at one of the examples that Jesus gives us about the invitation to have an abundant life.
Let's look at one of the examples that Jesus gives us about the invitation to have an abundant life.
But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
Luke 14:16-24 ESV
In the Bible we see that the Jewish people were God's chosen people but when they refused to believe in His Son and accept the sacrifice He made to atone for our sin, God then opened the door for the Gentiles (us non-Jewish people) to enter His kingdom and be His people.
This is great news! Everyone is wanted. All are welcome. Your past does not matter to God, He loves you. Period. He wants nothing more than for you to love Him in return.
Many people profess to have faith in God and to believe that Jesus lived and died to pay their debt to sin. Words alone, however, are not enough to receive the promises of God. His promises are for "whosoever will" follow through on their words of faith with actions that demonstrate their faith. James, the brother of Jesus, puts it best: FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD (James 2:17).
The church is full of dead Christians. How can that be you ask? Look at the passage above again. We are all invited to be a part of God's family but sadly, many people only commit to God with their words. They stop short of realizing the full manifestation of God's promises in their lives because they are not willing to get out of their comfort zone or go out of their way to respond to God's invitation.
We are really good at making excuses for why we can't do something. We are really good at justifying our behavior when we know it doesn't line up with the Word of God. But what these things really mean is that we are dead Christians. When our words are the only part of us that claim faith in God then we will not be allowed to enter His kingdom.
We are dead if our words and actions do not agree.
So how do we match our actions with our words? Let's start with answering some simple questions:
Is there a Bible study you said you would go to but you have not shown up?
Do you spend time with God everyday - talking to Him about what is going on in your life?
Do you attend church on a regular basis?
Do you volunteer at your church?
Do you use your gifts and talents to help others come closer to God?
Do you show up at church events?
Do you wait and rely on God when making decisions in your life?
Jesus gave His all for you. He bled for you. He died for you. Is He not worthy of you making a few sacrifices for Him? Do you remember Jesus' prayer in the garden right before His arrest? He asked God the Father to let this cup pass from Him but only if it was the Father's will (Luke 22:41-42).
Does your daily life reflect the same kind of willingness toward God? Would you rather have God's great plan for your life on earth or would you rather have things done your own way?
Being a follower of Christ means that sometimes we do things we don't feel like doing. It means doing something on purpose because it is the right thing to do. We won't always feel like doing everything that is before us. Imitating Jesus means giving up demanding to have our own way and instead let God have His. It may mean getting up 45 minutes early to pray or staying up 45 minutes late.
What is there that God has asked you to do but you have not done yet? What are your excuses?
Now is the time to repent. Do things God's way. Do what He asks you. Choose to live in obedience to His Word. Choose to put Him first.
Excuses prevent you from living God's promises.
Heidirn
In the Bible we see that the Jewish people were God's chosen people but when they refused to believe in His Son and accept the sacrifice He made to atone for our sin, God then opened the door for the Gentiles (us non-Jewish people) to enter His kingdom and be His people.
This is great news! Everyone is wanted. All are welcome. Your past does not matter to God, He loves you. Period. He wants nothing more than for you to love Him in return.
Many people profess to have faith in God and to believe that Jesus lived and died to pay their debt to sin. Words alone, however, are not enough to receive the promises of God. His promises are for "whosoever will" follow through on their words of faith with actions that demonstrate their faith. James, the brother of Jesus, puts it best: FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD (James 2:17).
The church is full of dead Christians. How can that be you ask? Look at the passage above again. We are all invited to be a part of God's family but sadly, many people only commit to God with their words. They stop short of realizing the full manifestation of God's promises in their lives because they are not willing to get out of their comfort zone or go out of their way to respond to God's invitation.
We are really good at making excuses for why we can't do something. We are really good at justifying our behavior when we know it doesn't line up with the Word of God. But what these things really mean is that we are dead Christians. When our words are the only part of us that claim faith in God then we will not be allowed to enter His kingdom.
We are dead if our words and actions do not agree.
So how do we match our actions with our words? Let's start with answering some simple questions:
Is there a Bible study you said you would go to but you have not shown up?
Do you spend time with God everyday - talking to Him about what is going on in your life?
Do you attend church on a regular basis?
Do you volunteer at your church?
Do you use your gifts and talents to help others come closer to God?
Do you show up at church events?
Do you wait and rely on God when making decisions in your life?
Jesus gave His all for you. He bled for you. He died for you. Is He not worthy of you making a few sacrifices for Him? Do you remember Jesus' prayer in the garden right before His arrest? He asked God the Father to let this cup pass from Him but only if it was the Father's will (Luke 22:41-42).
Does your daily life reflect the same kind of willingness toward God? Would you rather have God's great plan for your life on earth or would you rather have things done your own way?
Being a follower of Christ means that sometimes we do things we don't feel like doing. It means doing something on purpose because it is the right thing to do. We won't always feel like doing everything that is before us. Imitating Jesus means giving up demanding to have our own way and instead let God have His. It may mean getting up 45 minutes early to pray or staying up 45 minutes late.
What is there that God has asked you to do but you have not done yet? What are your excuses?
Now is the time to repent. Do things God's way. Do what He asks you. Choose to live in obedience to His Word. Choose to put Him first.
Excuses prevent you from living God's promises.
Heidirn
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