Easter Sunday, my friend leans over the church pew and says, “I notice you’re alone. Do you have plans today?”
I shake my head.
“Then come to our home for ham dinner.” Her smile is warm like fresh-baked Hot Cross Buns.
“Thank you for the invite. Very thoughtful of you, but….”
“Come. You don’t need to bring a thing.”
“I’ll think about it.”
But a dozen excuses prevents me from accepting her kind invitation.
No doubt….my loss.
What excuses did people make when Jesus invited them to,“Follow me.”
- “Permit me to say goodbye to those at home.” Luke 9:61
- “He became very sad; for he was extremely rich.” Luke 18:23
- “This is a diffcult statement; who can listen to it.” John 6:60
- “They loved the approval of men….” John 12:43
- “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to him?” John 10:20
Pride, unbelief, lovers of money, other people’s opinion, personal safety.
Are the excuses any different today?
What about when bad things happen to good people?
Is that a valid excuse to not follow Jesus?
Remember Job? God described Job as a “blameless, upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” And yet, Job suffered the loss of his children, property, health. What made it worse…
God Allowed it
Even so, Job didn’t use his miserable circumstances as an excuse to take his wife’s advice, “Curse God, and die.”
Instead he said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”
Then he later added, “I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
“I know my Redeemer lives.”
Do you know Job’s Redeemer? Do you know this Man, Jesus who was …
- Delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.
- Nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put to death.”
Do you know that…
- God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death.
- Since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. (Acts 2:23, 24)
Jesus, our Redeemer lives. He’s seated in heaven at the right hand of God.
Some people will hear the Resurrection message on Easter and respond exactly like the men in Athens when they heard Paul declare that God raised Jesus from the dead. (Acts 17:30-32)
They will sneer!
They will find an excuse to turn down the invitation to believe in the name of Jesus, and follow Him.
But Praise God’s Holy name, there will be others who will hear the same message and say….
“We shall hear you again concerning this.”
Which person are you?
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Well written. Just after my divorce I would have loved to be invited and felt as though it wasn’t under obligation. I struggled for quite a while and during my ‘bitter years’ realized that all too often (and usually unintentionally) holidays are for families. Thanks for sharing! B Blessed
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Thanks for commenting Mike. Holidays are difficult when we’re alone. Hopefully, rather than waiting to be asked, there is opportunity to look around and connect with other people who are alone. Hard to be proactive our relationships when we’re in a touch or bitter place.
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Why is it sometimes so hard for us to receive good things? Invitations, complements. I’ve been wrangling with that thought myself this week. Thanks for the thoughtful comparison to Christ’s invitation. Well said.
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I think it’s difficult to receive the kindness of others because we feel like we’e imposing. Or in the case of receiving Christ’s forgiveness–not worthy. My excuses often stem from putting my to-do list above fun. Thanks for commenting.
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We all seem to find excuses for day to day commitments that may inconvenience us. May the Lord be patient with us… once again.
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The Lord is definitely patient with us. Sooner or later, we’ll come face to face with the Lord. And there will be no room left for excuses about rejecting Christ.
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