I was on the phone asking a receptionist why information I submitted in their online portal had not received a response. After checking she answered, “There must have been a glitch.” Hmmm. That sounds like an easy excuse. I wonder how many staff errors get blamed on a computer “glitch.”
We like to pin the blame for our little mistakes and decisions on a variety of things. We blame our parents, the government, gremlins, the dog, the devil, my gender, my race, a lack of coffee, society, aliens from outer space, and God. I heard Zig Ziglar say once that his go-to excuse was, “my axe-handle broke.” He explained that when it comes to excuses, “One reason is as good as another.” It really doesn’t matter what excuse we use to dodge the blame.
Jesus told a parable about excuses. The story begins, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many” (Luke 14:16). Some of those invited gave excuses for refusing the generous invitation. One explained that he recently bought some property and he had to go see it. Another justified his refusal to attend because he just bought some oxen and needed to go test them. The third man excused himself because he was newly married. With this story in mind, imagine how ridiculous the excuses are if the invitation they were turning down was to a great supper with Jesus in eternity.
It is amazing the excuses we give to Jesus: excuses to refuse His invitation to receive His forgiveness, His love, and His offer of eternal life. We have excuses to refuse His invitation to walk with Him, follow Him, and serve Him. We have excuses to refuse His invitation to obey Him and devote our lives to Him. Refusing His invitation is about as foolish as a starving person refusing an invitation to a banquet. He offers us living water and bread of life. We offer Him lame excuses.
Here is His invitation. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).