After pondering our scripture verse for today, I've now
got a little tune ringing in my head. Perhaps you're familiar with it,
the chorus goes like this:
"Excuses, Excuses; you'll hear them every day.
The devil will supply them if from church you'll stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the devil always loses,
And so to keep us now from living right, he offers us EXCUSES!"
Are you one for making excuses all the time? Maybe you'll better be able
to answer that question after looking at Proverbs 15:19, which says:
"The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of
the righteous is made plain."
The slothful person is of course, a lazy individual. He is a SLUG! He
indulges in inactivity, has a habit of being idle. In other words, he's
not inclined to work. Sounds like a fellow who's going nowhere to me!
The Bible says this person is as an hedge of thorns. What does this mean?
Think for a moment of being hedged in by thorns.... Where are you going
to go?? Nowhere! As a matter of fact, every direction you take looks
like it will hurt. That's the way it is with the sluggard, the slothful
chap. He THINKS every step he takes is going to bring him great pain. Therefore
he makes excuses and ends up doing nothing about anything! He stands
victimized behind that imaginary hedge of thorns, for they serve to provide
him with all manner of excuses for not dealing responsibly with the realities
of life....
"I can't read my Bible every morning because I'm a night owl."
"I couldn't homeschool because I'm not patient enough yet."
"I can't quit smoking, I've been doing it so long now!"
"I can't speak in front of people or pass out a tract because I'm not
eloquent with my words."
"I can't stay home with my kids because I see no way we could afford it,
and besides, my husband is bad with money."
"I can't keep things organized because I wasn't raised that way."
"I can't go to that church, the preacher is too loud and too long!"
"I can't discipline my children because I was abused."
"I can't stay with my husband because he doesn't show any promise of changing."
"I can't go to the mission field, my family wouldn't understand."
"I can't wear any of those longer type dresses, they just don't flatter
my figure, and besides, my legs are too short."
"I just can't lose weight, my metabolism is slower than others and I've
no time at all to exercise."
"I can't keep the house clean because the kids are so young right now
and they make it difficult."
"I can't fix nice dinners, nobody taught me when I was younger how to
do it."
"We can't tithe on such a meager salary."
"I can't, I can't, I can't..." The truth is, "I WON'T!" Have you begun
to notice something about this slothful person, ladies? His heart is
missing from his work!
Eccles. 2:17, "Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought
under the sun is grievous unto me...."
Without working from the heart, slothful people convince themselves that
there is nothing but hardship and grief ahead of them all the time. Hence,
the excuses. Why, even a mosquito doesn’t get a slap on the back until
he starts working, amen? Working from the heart brings diligence into
the picture and a determination to see a thing through! All excuses dissolve
away... A victim mentality is a sure sign of defeat! How about you,
dear lady? Are you a victim of your circumstances? A victim of people
around you? If so, I bet you are often times defeated and talking about
why a thing can't be done! No doubt about it, a slothful man certainly
wants to experience the good life, but unfortunately he is not willing
to put forth the effort necessary to get the results. He is a quitter
who lives behind a hedge of thorns that nobody sees but him...
Proverbs 13:4 says, "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing:
but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."
While a lazy sheep thinks even his wool too heavy, a righteous man however,
having been informed of his duty, faithfully presses toward the mark,
toward the fulfillment of his goals. Such obedience lights up the pathway
he is to take, and makes it clear to him how to arrive at the destination
of his God directed goals. Because his way is plain to see, the diligent
individual doesn't waste a moment of his time talking about why a task can't
be done, but his life speaks as a testimony of how ALL things can be done!
Just like Jesus...
John 17:4, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do."
Ladies, have you finished any of the work you've been given to do?? Maybe
there are some loose ends in your life that you ought to actively and diligently tie up
once and for all. Perhaps you've been making excuses long enough as to
why you are the way you are - or aren't! You can't get to the top by
sitting on your bottom, amen? It costs Satan little trouble to catch
the lazy man... Don't let the devil keep supplying you with excuses as
to why you can't live right - listen to the Word of God instead! It is
full of promises of the Lord's help!
Phillipians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me."
Now, you tell me what exceptions there are to that verse!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
