Tuesday, February 4, 2014
EPIPHANY (AH HA!) MOMENTS = EXCUSE ELIMINATION
When I was growing up, both my mom and my dad seemed to have this silent (and sometimes very verbal) way of eliminating any of the excuses that I would try to make for not doing my homework, house chores, or saying my mealtime or night time prayers. I would get to be annoyed with them at times, but that didn't matter because they were right every time. Homework is important for my education and learning. House chores teach responsibility and not to be lazy. A prayer life brings peace to the soul and shows love and gratitude to our God who provides for both our physical and spiritual needs alike!
I was reminded in Exodus chapters three and four recently that God dealt with Moses in the same way my parents dealt with me. Moses made five excuses to God in those two chapters when God had called him from the burning bush for the specific task of leading the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Each time Moses made an excuse, God provided an answer or solution to that excuse, easily eliminating the excuse from discussion. In fact, as Moses continued on with the excuses, God became very angry with Moses for his attitude and behavior. So much so, that had Moses' wife not intervened, God would have put Moses to death.
There's an important questions there, isn't there? Does God have the right to be angry with me? What kind of excuses do I make when it comes to my work and life as a Christian? Whether it be a parent or child, brother or sister, employer or employee, faithful or not so faithful child to God's Word, every area of life gives me a chance to make excuses for what God's Word clearly tells me what I ought to be doing! We don't like hearing excuses. Why would God? Lord forgive me for my excuses! Praise the Lord, He does!
What a comfort to know that our Lord God, the same One who called Moses from the burning bush, is the same who has called you and me to serve Him out of the joy in seeing Christ Jesus our Savior serve us! Jesus made no excuses when He came to this world to suffer and die for all our sins of laziness, discontentment, and stubborn refusal to follow His Word. Jesus came to show His loving willingness and commitment to live for us! He came to teach and send the Spirit to aide us in eliminating all our excuses to worship and serve Him with our lives! What a blessing!
