Daily Devotional
What Are Your Excuses?

November 20, 2022

Ponder This

A man came to talk with his pastor and said, “Pastor, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but God is not real to me anymore. I don’t have the joy and presence of God in my life like I used to.” The wise pastor asked him a direct question. He said, “Is there any unconfessed sin in your life?” The man said, “I used to bring a tithe of my income to God. But some time ago I got the idea that perhaps God didn’t need that as much as I needed it.” Then he said, “Yes, Pastor, I have ceased to be honest with God.” The pastor said, “Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve begun to steal from God. Would you steal from the offering plate when it is passed?”

There will always be someone who will give you a reason or an excuse to disobey God; it may even be a religious leader. They’ll lead you into an unscriptural marriage, immorality, or some transgression of the commandments of God, and they’ll say, “Times have changed, and things are different.” But I remind you that Jesus says “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).

• What excuses have you made to God for your sin in the past?
• What would it look like to truly love God and keep His commands? What would change? What would stay the same?

Practice This

Create a list of the excuses you have made to God. Make another list of all the reasons to trust God and His commands.