Luke 14:16–20: Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
There was a law in Israel that excused a man from going to war if he had taken a new wife. This man had the weakest excuse of all. Why didn’t he bring his wife with him and come to the dinner? His natural affection kept him away from the dinner. How many times I have heard a man say, “I don’t come to church because Sunday is the only day I can spend with my family.” These things keep more people from God than anything else: possessions, business, and natural affection. How many people today are kept from God because of these things? Well, God has an engraved invitation for you. It is written in the blood of Jesus Christ and invites you to the great table of salvation. 1
Your Word is Truth
What excuse do you use most frequently? Why do you make excuses? Do you think God encourages us to make excuses, or to live an “excuse free” lifestyle as a Christian? Are excuses just a convenient way to cover up our personal failures?
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. –Ephesians 2:8
You Alone are God
To reject God’s invitation is a regrettable decision for all eternity. – TWEET IT
Your Will be Done
Lord, keep my heart tender, so I will respond readily to all Your request.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Luke) (electronic ed., Vol. 37). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
