A Lie Disguised

But without exception they all began to make excuses. - Luke 14:18

Jesus spoke a parable to a small crowd (as they themselves were eating) concerning the banquet table of the Lord. One of those at the meal was convinced that he would get to be present at the Lord's ultimate feast, but Jesus inferred that many (like him) would in fact miss God's reward, because they were too busy to hear or receive the invitation when it was made.

This made me wonder how many times we miss God's "feast" because we find an excuse to avoid the "invitation." God wants us to be a part of His eternal work, but much too often materialism, earthly pursuits, and even family obligations get in the way of accomplishing His purposes. So often we find "reasons" to be busy.

Someone once said that an excuse is simply "a lie disguised as a reason." God isn't interested in our excuses. He wants obedience in spite of our "reasons." It's often difficult to obey the Lord, but I guess that's why they call it sacrifice.

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. - Benjamin Franklin