Excuses! Excuses!
The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. (Jeremiah 1:7)
It’s easy to come up with excuses, isn’t it? Coming up with excuses is one of those things that we learn rather early, as children. When we find ourselves in trouble, or not wanting to do something, we become quite adept at making excuses for our actions.
When God called Jeremiah to be his prophet, Jeremiah tried to provide God with an excuse as to why he was not able to be God’s prophet. But God quickly addressed Jeremiah’s excuse. God’s call to Jeremiah had very little to do with Jeremiah and a lot to do with who God is and what he would do through Jeremiah. Even though Jeremiah thought he was not able to speak (in public), God assured Jeremiah that he would put his Word in Jeremiah’s mouth. Therefore, Jeremiah could go to wherever and whomever God sent him to.
What are your excuses for not sharing God’s Word? Is it that you think others are better at it than you? God has still called you to share his Word in your own way. He has given you abilities that he has not given to everyone to share his Word. Is it that you think no one will listen? No one in Jeremiah’s day wanted to listen to him but God still sent him to proclaim the hard message of sin and repentance. God sent Jeremiah to point out the people’s sins and call them back to God. You have the full message of salvation. You can tell them that they are sinners and Jesus came to pay for their sins. You have a message that is far greater than any message that the prophets of the Old Testament were able to proclaim because you are able to tell how it was accomplished and that salvation is complete.
We will always be good at making excuses. But God has already dealt with our excuses. He has given us his Word to proclaim faithfully to this world, to call people to know him through his Word, and to receive the forgiveness that Jesus won for them on the cross of Calvary. What a privilege to be able to share God’s Word wherever and to whomever he sends us to. Amen.
The song for today is “I Love To Tell The Story” by Alan Jackson