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Feb 06, 2025 06:00am

Stop Making Excuses

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“Well, you shouldn’t have parked behind me!”

This is what it finally came down to. In his frustrated, in-the-moment reasoning, he had come up with this.

This was the reason he had backed into my car.

My fault, not his.

Yes, I was home from college, which was different than most days when he pulled out of the driveway. But…

Did he look behind him? No.

Did he consider where my car was? No.

Did he stop even to ask, “Is there anything behind me before I put this truck in reverse?” No.

And yet, he justified his hitting my car with, “You shouldn’t have parked behind me.”

Romans 3:1-8
“Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? 2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. 3 True, some of them were unfaithful, but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? 4 Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”
5 “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) 6 Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? 7 “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” 8 And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.”

People have always been good at justifying their actions. Jews and Gentiles alike. They had every reason and excuse readily available for their use. Paul called them out on it.

They said sin was okay because “our sin allows God’s glory to shine.” While God’s grace and righteousness are made known, this is not an excuse or reason to sin. Paul’s point was that God remains faithful even when we do not. But His faithfulness should encourage us to live for Him, not against Him.

Do you ever catch yourself mid-sentence and realize how you’re trying to justify your actions? I know I have. And when I see it for what it really is, I realize how dumb it actually sounds. The truth is, no matter how many excuses we make or “good points” to justify what we are doing, we ALL will have to answer to the Lord for our sins.

Is God calling something to your attention today? A sin that’s in your life that needs to be dealt with? No more excuses. Bring it before the Lord today. He is faithful and just to forgive.