Excuse Me!!

As human beings, we often come up with various excuses. This habit begins in our early school days and tends to carry on into adulthood. While the excuses we made as children may now seem silly, as adults, we often find our justifications more acceptable. But where do these excuses really come from? They usually arise when we lack interest in a task or simply don’t want to do it—whatever the reason may be.

We read an incident in Bible - Banquet Parable from Jesus on Excuses in Luke 14

[Luke 14:15-24 NIV] 15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." 16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' 21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 22 " 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' 23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

No More Excuses – A Call to Serve

• Those of us who have come to know and been saved by our Savior, Jesus Christ, are deeply privileged. We are the “blessed ones”, invited to partake in the eternal feast in the Kingdom of God—not because of who we are, but because of what Christ accomplished for us on the cross.

• Yet, the grace and blessings we receive are not meant for personal gain alone. They are given so that we might carry out the work of Christ. Too often, we forget this truth—or worse, we choose to ignore it. We fall into the trap of thinking that salvation is a guaranteed pass into God’s kingdom, without any responsibility on our part.

• Salvation does not give the guarantee to eternal life, it’s only a gateway to eternity. Our deeds and actions along with salvation are the pass to eternity.

• These Excuses act as a roadblock to our end goal to reach and partake in the eternal feast in the Kingdom of God

• When Jesus declares, “Come, for everything is now ready,” He is not only inviting us to the kingdom—He is also calling us to serve. We are called to serve the Lord of lords in whatever capacity we can:

  • Praying for others

  • Sharing the Gospel

  • Using our spiritual and material gifts to bless others

  • Being a light in our communities

• Every Christian is called to be a vessel for Christ, using the blessings they’ve received to glorify God.

• But what do we often do instead? We make excuses:

  • “I have work to do.” → “I just bought a field.”

  • “My business needs me.” → “I just bought five yoke of oxen.”

  • “My family comes first.” → “I just got married.”

• While these excuses may sound reasonable, God looks beyond the words—He sees our hearts. Are we willing to make time for Him despite life’s busyness? Are we willing to pray, give, or speak, even when it’s inconvenient or unseen?

• God’s ministry flows out of love. The same love He has poured into your life and mine is meant to be shared with others. That love can be expressed in many ways—through giving, helping, praying for others, sharing the message of Jesus, standing for what is right, and most importantly, by living as a testimony of His grace and work in your life.

• God, the Lord of the Harvest, will bring in the harvest in His time and His way. But He is also watching for those who are willing to say, “Yes, Lord,” despite the cost of all these struggles we go thru.

• The sobering truth is this: if we continually reject God’s call, He will raise up others in our place. As Jesus said in [Luke 14:23–24 NIV] 23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

• Excuses come from a lack of love for God. Scripture commands us in [Ephesians 6:7 NIV] 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people But how can we serve wholeheartedly if our hearts lack love for Him?

• Only the fear of the Lord can cultivate the reverence needed to serve God sincerely.

• We avoid giving excuses to a strict manager’s out of fear—but our God, though rich in love, is also righteous and just. If He were to unleash His full wrath, none could endure it.

• Let us not test His patience. One day, every excuse will be laid bare before the judgment seat of God. On that day, no excuse will stand.

Fruits of God – No Room for Excuses

We see in the story of Esther how a young Jewish woman rose to become Queen of Nations—not by chance, but through obedience, courage, and faith in God’s purpose for her life. Let’s reflect on how God used her and what it means for us as believers today.

A Conflict of Conviction: Mordecai vs. Haman

[Esther 3:1-2 NIV] 1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king's gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

• Mordecai refused to bow before Haman, not out of arrogance, but because of his faith and convictionas a Jew.

• His refusal enraged Haman, whose pride couldn’t tolerate such defiance.

[Esther 3:3-6 NIV] 3 Then the royal officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?" 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai's behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

• Haman’s pride turned to hatred, and he used his influence with the king to plot the destruction of the entire Jewish people.

A Decree of Death

[Esther 3:8-9, 13 NIV] 8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king's administrators for the royal treasury." ... 13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews--young and old, women and children--on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

• A royal decree was issued to exterminate the Jews.

• What began with one man’s faithful stand led to a nation-wide crisis for God’s people.

A Time of Mourning and Desperation

[Esther 4:1, 3-4 NIV] 1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. ... 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther's eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

• Mordecai and the Jewish people responded with grief, fasting, and prayer.

• Esther was deeply troubled but initially unaware of the full gravity of the situation. She passed an order to fast for 3 Days.

[Esther 4:15-17 NIV] 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions.

• Esther did not make excuses.

• The burden for the jews and God’s saving grace made her also fast.

• She called for a three-day fast and chose to risk her life for the sake of her people.

• Her obedience, courage, and faith made her a vessel in God’s hands—and through her, God’s people were saved.

Common Excuses

• We often excel at making excuses when God calls us. When God called Moses to go before Pharaohand lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses responded, “I am not eloquent” (Exodus 4:10). But God reassured him, saying, “Go; I will be with your mouth and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:12).

• “I don’t have any experience or Bible training. - God is a good, good teacher he has coached the disciples who were fishermen, it's not too hard for him to coach you or me. His calling is not based on our strengths, but his strength in us.

• "I have a good job. I'll serve the Lord full-time after I retire." - By the time you retire, you might be the one needing help! God desires your energy and passion now, not just what’s left at the end. He calls you while you still have something to give.

• "I have office job, I cannot do it " - Not everyone is called into full-time ministry, but everyone is called to play their part. Whether it’s praying, giving, sharing the Word, or encouraging others—God has a role for you. All He needs is your willingness and the intent to do his call.

• "I am busy at work" - Yes, work consumes time—but think about this: when someone we love is sick, we make time, no matter how busy we are. If we truly love God, we’ll carve out time for Him too. What God looks for is our intent—and when that’s there, He will provide the time and open the path for His work.

• “I cannot do this” - That’s true—you can’t, not on your own. But with God, you’re not limited by your strength. As Paul reminds us [Philippians 4:13 NIV] 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Summary

I encourage you seek God in prayer—seeking His forgiveness for all the excuses that’s made. Each of us knows, deep down, how often we’ve delayed obedience with excuses. We know the truth that lies behind them.

Yet, God’s call still remains. He’s not asking you to be like Paul, Timothy, or any of the apostles. He’s simply asking for a willing heart—a servant ready to do His will, one step, one task at a time.

Ask Him, “Father, what do You want me to do?” and He will guide you into the richness of His kingdom purposes, as his calling is “"Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."”

Humbly ask for His mercy—for the time wasted—and His grace to be faithful with the days that lie ahead. Let’s commit to working with purpose and passion, making the most of every opportunity He gives us.