July 28, 2924

 What’s Your Excuse?

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

They always have an excuse. You know who I’m talking about. They’re traveling. They’re tired. They don’t like the topic. They’re at the beach. Or the mountains. Or, really, anywhere that doesn’t involve church.

Some people joke about the Christmas and Easter people. Throw in a dose of Mother’s Day. Except it’s not funny. They’re missing something important. They’re missing fellowship with other believers. They’re missing opportunities to learn and grow closer to Christ.

Sure. Some people say they’re good because they watch the service online. (And please know that this is not directed at those who physically can’t attend church anymore.) It’s easier to watch a service online than attend in person. But it’s not the same. There’s no connection there. No pun intended.

We find time to do what’s important to us. Is Jesus important to you? You may believe in your heart but if you’re not gathering with other believers on a regular basis maybe it’s time to do a heart check.

May 13, 2019

Appearances

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4

It’s all about appearances, isn’t it? We log on to Facebook and post all the pretty stuff, ignoring the heartaches and disappointments and failures. It’s the same at church. We clean ourselves up, paste on a smile and tell everyone how wonderful our lives are right now. We don’t mention the child that is lying and skipping school and hanging with the wrong crowd. We don’t talk about the possibility of a job layoff or our marital struggles. We don’t want people to know the ugliness of our lives.

Our churches, those buildings filled with people playing nice, aren’t always what they seem. There are squabbles and financial issues and politics galore. We smile warmly and greet visitors, praying they won’t feel the tension or be put off by the preacher’s message. We tell each other it’s all about Jesus but in our hearts we “know” it’s all about the numbers.

Studies show that people are staying away from churches at an alarming rate. We think it’s because we aren’t “nice” enough or “polished” enough. Maybe the true answer is that we aren’t real enough.

The widow Jesus spoke about gave all she could. Because of where the offering box was located, everyone knew how much she gave. Don’t you know that there were many who watched her and scoffed arrogantly at her meager offering? They judged her by their circumstances rather than taking a moment to look at her heart.

Jesus looks at your heart. He looks at mine too. He sees the flaws, the failures, the issues that linger just beneath the surface. He draws us to Him and tells us to do the same with others. It’s what so many of our churches are missing. They focus on appearances but totally miss the heart.

February 23, 2015

What's Your Excuse?

 

"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you." -- 1 Samuel 13:13a

Saul was a foolish man. God had given him a kingdom and much success. He threw it all away. His pride and arrogance caused him to sin greatly against God. So God sought a man after His own heart. David.

That's what God does. And that's what we do. We get so caught up in our own goodness, our own mission and purpose, that we forget it all comes from God.

We get lazy. We started skirting the basics. We're good, we tell ourselves. It's okay to skip today's Bible reading. God understands. I'm so busy because of all the things I'm doing for Him.

Or we don't make it to church. We don't feel well. We're tired. We've had a rough week. We don't like the pastor or the music or the coffee. Seriously?!

I know a woman who fought and won a battle against lung cancer a few years ago. She will always have stamina issues and many at the church still treat her as a shut-in. The woman goes to Wal-Mart shopping. She runs errands. She is able to come to church. She chooses not to. Don't put her in the same group  as people who are literally not physically able to attend. You're enabling her, encouraging her excuses.

Or let's look at the man who got shingles, something that is really and truly painful. We prayed for him and worried about him. He is better now, though not completely healed. He's back at work, running errands and doing pretty much what he wants. But he hasn't quite made it back to church. Shingles is a convenient excuse but if he can live the rest of his week normally, then he can come to church on Sunday.

So what's your excuse? Do you attend church regularly? Why not? Do you give God credit for everything good that happens to you? Do you set aside time every day to spend with God? Or is He last on your list?

How often do we make excuses, telling ourselves that God will understand? In a way, He does. God knows us far better than we know ourselves. But it means that He also isn't fooled by our excuses. We're only fooling ourselves.

Jesus died for us. For you and for me. God loves us that much. How dare we make excuses, especially when it comes to the basics. So show up! Read your Bible. Pray every day. Attend church when you are able. There's enough sin in each of our lives without compounding it with foolishness.