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EXCUSE ME
The following are actual excuses sent from parents to their kids’ teachers:
• Dear School, Please excuse my son from being absent on Jan. 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.
• My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.
• Please excuse my daughter from Jim class for a few days. Yesterday she fell out of a tree and misplaced her hip.
• The basement of our house got flooded where the children sleep so they had to be vaporized.
No one has to teach us how to make excuses. It seems as though we come factory-installed with this crafty skill. We make excuses to bosses, spouses, kids, coaches, friends, teachers, and even God.
Moses is a classic case study in making excuses. When Moses was eighty God met him at the burning bush, God gave him the assignment of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt and leading them to the Promised Land (Exodus 3:7–10). But Moses had lived as a fugitive for the last forty years in absolute obscurity. His life back in the Egyptian palace was nothing more than a faded memory. He was no longer the up-and- coming prince of Egypt. So coming up with excuses why he wasn’t a good candidate for the job flowed easily and freely off of his lips.
Moses’ first excuse came in the form of a question: “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11). But it wasn’t really a question. It was a statement of inadequacy and fear. Moses was basically saying, “I’m a nobody.”
It’s interesting that God didn’t try to bolster Moses’ self-esteem. God isn’t as interested in our self-esteem as he is our surrender. God’s response wasn’t about Moses at all; it was about himself. His answer to Moses’ question was, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). It’s like God was saying, Moses, you’re right. You are inadequate, but this isn’t about your skill and ability. My presence and power is what you need.
Here is the lesson Moses had a hard time accepting: his past experience, his gifts, and the power of God were all that he needed.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
As you reflect on your life, have you been offering God any of the same excuses as Moses?
Today’s Takeaway
God using you isn’t as much about your ability as it is your availability.
The following are actual excuses sent from parents to their kids’ teachers:
• Dear School, Please excuse my son from being absent on Jan. 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.
• My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.
• Please excuse my daughter from Jim class for a few days. Yesterday she fell out of a tree and misplaced her hip.
• The basement of our house got flooded where the children sleep so they had to be vaporized.
No one has to teach us how to make excuses. It seems as though we come factory-installed with this crafty skill. We make excuses to bosses, spouses, kids, coaches, friends, teachers, and even God.
Moses is a classic case study in making excuses. When Moses was eighty God met him at the burning bush, God gave him the assignment of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt and leading them to the Promised Land (Exodus 3:7–10). But Moses had lived as a fugitive for the last forty years in absolute obscurity. His life back in the Egyptian palace was nothing more than a faded memory. He was no longer the up-and- coming prince of Egypt. So coming up with excuses why he wasn’t a good candidate for the job flowed easily and freely off of his lips.
Moses’ first excuse came in the form of a question: “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11). But it wasn’t really a question. It was a statement of inadequacy and fear. Moses was basically saying, “I’m a nobody.”
It’s interesting that God didn’t try to bolster Moses’ self-esteem. God isn’t as interested in our self-esteem as he is our surrender. God’s response wasn’t about Moses at all; it was about himself. His answer to Moses’ question was, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). It’s like God was saying, Moses, you’re right. You are inadequate, but this isn’t about your skill and ability. My presence and power is what you need.
Here is the lesson Moses had a hard time accepting: his past experience, his gifts, and the power of God were all that he needed.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
As you reflect on your life, have you been offering God any of the same excuses as Moses?
Today’s Takeaway
God using you isn’t as much about your ability as it is your availability.
Scripture
About this Plan
Getting stuck is never fun. Worse than getting stuck in traffic or in a long line is getting stuck spiritually. In this devotional, you will walk with some of the great heroes of the faith and principles from Romans 12 to discover how you can get unstuck and experience spiritual momentum. Pastor and author Lance Witt breathes fresh insight into the journey of some great trailblazers of the Christian faith.
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We would like to thank Living On The Edge and Lance Witt for providing this plan. For more information go here: http://livingontheedge.org/ or http://www.replenish.net/
