From a secular viewpoint, Eric Hoffer said, "For many people, an excuse is better than an achievement, because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future; but an excuse can last for a life."
It has occurred to me -- my urge to excuse myself (especially from doing the hard things of following Christ) often centers on two key and lame responses: "I don't want to..." and "I can't!" In other words, "I have no desire, so I will not"...and I have no capacity or ability, so I cannot...
But Scripture says: God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13, NLT). In other words, when I come forth with either of those two excuses, I'm denying the Truth that God's Spirit offers me both the desire and the power to move out. In Biblical terms, it seems the Spirit is always moving, always giving impulses, always offering desire, motivation and power -- all I need to proceed. But when I mutter the excuses, to myself or to others, I am then (the New Testament's language) quenching and grieving the Spirit.
3 comments:
So do some new things jump on to the "To Do" list this week?
Thank you for digging into this Dean. I think it's a topic that leaves most of us without an excuse and therefore, speechless.
See what you think of the above Brian.
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