But.
If there’s one word that irritates me, it’s the word ‘but’.
I want to donate to charity, but I can’t seem to part with anything.
Sure, I really want to go to church this Sunday, but I have to work and I’ll be too tired.
Yes, I know it’s a sin, but I can’t help it.
I’m sure the list could go on and on and on, but I think you’ve grasped where I’m going with this.
So many people today rely on that word like a lifeline. Humans tend to frequently visit excuses. We want to do all these things that God asks of us, yet it seems like we’re too preoccupied with other happenings to comply with even the smallest of tasks. Our worldly lives seem to take center stage, while we place God somewhere in the nose bleed section.
Notice I say we.
I am as guilty of doing this as any of you are. There are times when I know I should be doing my part in the church, but instead I seem to focus on mundane things like a new episode of my favorite show or a status update on social media that has everyone buzzing. Sometimes, I’m embarrassed by my actions. Here I am claiming to be on a journey with Jesus, yet I can’t find more than a few minutes a day to incorporate Him.
I’m a but person (no pun intended).
I’m that person who is too tired to get up Sunday morning after working a late shift the night before. I’m the one who looks through my things but somehow finds a reason to keep every single possession I come across. And sin, it still plays a part in my life no matter how hard I try to fight it. Or, perhaps, that’s just another excuse. Maybe I could fight harder, but I’m too tired to.
Excuses seem to be my forte sometimes. Actually, forte wouldn’t be an accurate word. A more fitting description? Chains. Excuses are more chains strapped to us by the devil himself. We cannot continue to let him hold us so.
How do we break free of these chains? It seems nearly impossible, but it isn’t. Thinking it’s impossible is only another excuse being whispered into our daily lives.
So, where do we start? How about with Mathew 5:16.
It says:
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Let your light shine.
Let your light shine, so that we can glorify our Father in heaven.
A perfect place to start.
So, beginning today, let us all kick our excuses to the curb and do what Jesus asks us to do: let our light shine by bathing in His presence.
Instead of going to our TV’s when we come home, let’s go to our Bibles. Let’s post scriptures on social media instead of seeking gossip. Spread His Word to those who may have never heard it before. Share what we have, don’t be hoarders. After all, we came into this world with nothing and so shall we leave with nothing.
Go to church, even if you only had a few hours of sleep last night and you’re exhausted. Volunteer when no one else will. Smile at strangers. Be kind. Pray for the lost and for the grieving and struggling. Do small things with great love.
Be the light. Don’t seek excuses, leave them behind you. Leave them with all the other chains the devil has tried to place on you. Allow Jesus to free you.
Let us all start 2017 bathed in the light from the Son, who gave His life so that we could live for Him.
-Tiffany
Â
“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
–Romans 13:11-14
Â
Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
–Ephesians 5:7-14
Â
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
–Mathew 5:13-16
Woman for Jesus 