Bible Reading: Song of Solomon 5
“I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?” – Song of Solomon 5:3 (KJV).
When people want to disobey God or have their way, they find excuses. There is always a reason for every action or inaction. We are often so defensive and evasive. People find it hard to accept responsibility; they would rather pass the bulk or defend their actions. Someone else is wrong or to blame. The economy is bad, the government has failed to do this or that, my boss is not fair to me, the business environment is poor, the weather is bad, my parents didn’t send me to school, the pastor is not anointed, life is unfair to me. These and many more excuses for failure to do the right thing or to act on time. It is always someone else and not us. Rather than see reasons to do the right thing, we look for reasons to justify our wrong actions. We give excuses for our absence from church service and we seek or ask to be excused from commitment.
Most times, such excuses sound so funny and unrealistic. What does it take to put on one’s coat or to wash the feet a second time? It is only that something else is of greater value and so we give such our top priority. When we fail to prioritize God and his word, it is a clear indication of wrong values. Asked if he had eaten forbidden fruit, man easily passed the bulk to excuse himself of the blame… “And the man said, the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” – Genesis 3:12 (KJV). What a flimsy excuse. “And the Lord God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” – Genesis 3:13 (KJV). Since when did the serpent become an authority and a guide?
People want to be excused from responsibility but not from benefits. Have me excused, I just married a new wife. Have me excused, I just bought a new plot of land I must go and fence it. Have me excused, I am bereaved. These and many are the reasons and excuses people give to evade responsibilities. The children have excuses and reasons for not committing their lives to God or committing to service; they would prefer to play with their toys or watch Tom and Jerry carton. The youths will rather watch their football club play or give excuses that they want to have fun. They will postpone commitment to later years. The old folks will asked to be excused that it is too late to make the required changes because they are custodians of their community tradition. Funny enough, those excuses will not stand in the Day of Judgment. One cannot possibly tell or ask God to have him excused.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I find reasons to always commit to you in Jesus name.
Rev. Vincent Diolu