Devotional 24th June 2026

REVEALING GOD DEVOTIONAL - THE EXCUSE – PART 1

It is another beautiful week, and I just want us to thank God for letting us see another day. I really hope you had a restful night. Today, I want to discuss excuses because many people have excuses for not doing many things. In fact, some people have a natural temperament for making excuses. But what excuse will anyone tell God on the last day for not giving his or her life to God? Or for not serving Him, when He has made everything we need available through His Son, Jesus?

The first set of excuses ever recorded in history came just after the fall of man. Immediately Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, they started giving excuses for their actions. Adam blamed his wife and indirectly blamed God for giving him a wife. He said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat!” (Genesis 3:12). The wife also gave her own excuse by throwing the blame at the serpent. I guess the serpent was out of excuses, so he just took the blame. I just think after the fall of man, mankind naturally picked up the attitude of giving excuses for not doing the right things. Excuses are simply reasons people give not to take responsibility, not to take action, or to cover up failure in doing a task.

I will simply categorize excuses into two groups:

Unwilling Excuses

and

Willing Excuses

. Let me start talking about each individually.

Unwilling Excuses

The unwilling excuses are the common excuses people who are unwilling to be born again or serve God give to justify their actions. Jesus, in a parable, gave examples of three of these kinds of reasons. He said, “A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come” (Luke 14:16-20).

1. Material Attachment

The first example of unwilling excuses was the man who said he was going to see a property he had just purchased, so he could not attend the important invitation. Every unwilling excuse is founded on the fact that no value is placed on what is actually important, but on what is thought to be more important.

The people Jesus was talking about here are those who are too attached to the things of the world that they prefer them to serving God. There will always be a test from God in this area to prove our love for Him. For example, God tested Abraham with his son because that was what he loved most in the world, even more than money. That was why God asked him for his child and not his money. But for the rich young man in the New Testament, Jesus asked him for his money. He told him to sell all he had, give to the poor, and follow Him, but the scripture said “he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). As long as you are not willing to sacrifice whatever you love most on this earth for God, you still have an idol in your life that is taking the place of God in your heart. The scripture says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

2. Alternative Business

The next common unwilling excuse Jesus mentioned was related to work. One of the men invited said he could not honour the invitation because he had to attend to his own business. Most times our work or business can become an excuse not to serve the will of God or even give our lives to Christ, because we might have to give up some things if it is taking our time away from devotion to God, or if God is calling us into full-time service.

Even though your work or business demands your time, you have an option to choose who you want to serve — your work or God? The fact is that many people have this mentality that their work or business is more important than attending to God’s call, simply because they think their work is their provider and not God. But they need to understand that if God is the one keeping them alive, how much more will He not provide for them. The birds of the air have no problem believing this; that is why they don’t worry about what they will eat or drink (Matthew 6:26).

Okay, after your work has given you all the fame and money you want, what next? Will it also buy you a ticket to heaven? Most people only regret not serving God when it is too late. We should learn from the story of the rich man and Lazarus, who only wanted to start his evangelistic ministry in hell (Luke 16).

3. Relationships

The last common unwilling excuse people give is because of their relationships. In Jesus’ parable, the last man said he could not honour the invitation because he had just gotten married.

There was a story of a boy and a girl who went for a crusade and had the chance to get saved. There was even a prophecy concerning the boy’s salvation, but the boy refused to give his life to Christ because of his girlfriend. Immediately they left the crusade and were crossing the street, a vehicle hit the boy and he died. I guess the girl he died for got born again after that incident, but as for him, it was the end. Relationships have a strong influence that can affect us positively or negatively. For example, look at the story of Adam and Eve. Adam’s disobedience to God was as a result of relationship. Adam’s love for his wife must have blinded him from refusing to eat the fruit. The scripture said, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14).

Our relationship with God must be put above any other relationship on earth or in heaven if we must serve God as we should. The scripture says, “If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:26 GW).

It might sound harsh, but that is the simple truth, because everyone will be judged as an individual. God will not judge you as a family, friend, or group, so you will not be able to give any excuse saying it was because of him or her. The scripture says, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11).

If you are not born again, please do so today because one reason the gospel is being preached everywhere possible is so that no one will have any excuse to say “I didn’t know.” Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke

excuse

for their sin” (John 15:22).

Excuses will not take you anywhere but on the road of failure, so just do your best and God will add His grace to make sure it all works out. Tomorrow we will talk about the Willing Excuses. So have a blessed day!

Today’s Reading:

Matthew 22, 25, Proverbs 17

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Nevertheless, if you are not born again you can do so today by saying this simple prayer below out with your mouth in faith, believing that Jesus Christ died and rose again for your sins.