You do not have to look very far to discover them.  They are all around us, and they come in many different shapes and sizes.  If given the chance, they can actually control our lives and dictate to us what we can and cannot do.  I am talking about excuses.  Everyone has them and everyone uses them.

Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines excuse as “an attempt to free oneself from obligation or responsibility- an unjustified ploy to limit liability.”  I believe Benjamin Franklin said it best, “He that is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”  We can make excuses concerning our failures, faults, and fumbles and perhaps be justified by our peers and colleagues; but there are some excuses God will not and does not accept.  God has a work for all of us to do and no excuse should distract us from fulfilling His plan for our lives.

Some people use the following as an excuse not to work for God:

1.  Their Age

Some contend they are too young while others contend they are too old.  God used young and old alike to accomplish His purpose in Scripture.  Consider the following:

God used little Samuel to minister to Eli.  God used little David to defeat the giant.  God used the lunch of the little lad to feed the multitude.  He also called Sarah to bear a child in her nineties.  He called Moses in his eighties to deliver the people of God.  And consider that Methuselah stood as a testimony of the faithfulness of God for 969 years!  None of us can use our age as an excuse.

2. Their Inabilities

Lack of degree, poor social standing, introverted personality- none of these things exempt you from being used of God.  Gideon was the least in his father’s house.  The prophet Amos was just a country preacher, and a majority of Christ’s disciples were “ignorant and unlearned men” yet they turned the world upside down.   Although God can use anyone, He often uses the foolish to confound the wise, and the weak to confound the strong.   Sometimes, your inability is what actually qualifies you for a particular task.  God illuminates His strength and power through our weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

3. Their Past

Let’s admit it- we all have one.  And if you do not have any skeletons in your closet, it is probably because you are hoarding them somewhere else.  It is true, there are some things in our past that may limit us in certain areas of ministries; but I want to assure you of one thing- your past is in your past and you can do nothing about it outside of living for Christ today.  Don’t make excuses for not engaging your life in the service of the Lord.  Lay aside those unfounded reasons, and get busy with Kingdom living.