Excuses, Excuses

By Jackie Ricks 

I don’t know how many of you may remember the old song, “Excuses, Excuses.” It was the biggest hit of the Kingsmen quartet in 1981. Since I don’t have the rights to print it here, I’ll just try to explain it. The song was about all the excuses that people give to keep from going to church. The same could be said about telling others about Jesus. It seems that we always have excuses. Here’s my “mock off” of the song.

Chorus:
Excuses, Excuses,
You’ll hear them everywhere
Cuz the devil will provide them       
To cause you not to share.
If people hear and become saved
Satan always loses.
So, to stop you from sharing Jesus
Satan gives you excuses.

Verse 1:
The weather may be too hot
Or maybe it’s too cold
Or if the weather seems just right
You find other things to do.
Maybe you go to kids’ ballgames
Or visit out of town
Or maybe just stay home and watch tv or get on Facebook
Trying to relax and renew so you can go again.

Verse 2:
The people don’t really want to see us.
Maybe they’re already saved.
What if they get mad and throw us out?
I can’t remember the verses anyway.
And which method should I use:
Roman road, spiritual laws, gospel cube,
Evangelism explosion, or 5 finger method?
Who can keep them straight?

You get the idea. The original song had four verses. I always got a kick out of it because I’d heard those same excuses from many people before. Obviously, my “mock off” is not ready to be a song, but these may be some things that go through our minds as we consider witnessing. The point is that the excuses are just that; they are not real reasons. Just as we often tell people that their “reasons” for not coming to church are not valid since they would not allow the same “reasons” to prevent them from attending other events, the same holds true to us as we would not hesitate to talk to people about other things as we do about the Lord.

We might be reminded that often when we think we can’t do something, it’s more likely that we just won’t do it. Instead of procrastinating and thinking up more excuses for not spreading God’s Word, we need to think of more ways that we can share with others and what we can tell them about how God has blessed our lives. Sometimes it’s just as simple as telling someone how God helped you do something that you thought couldn’t possibly work.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 14:15-24; Acts 1:8

PRAYER: “Lord, please help me not to say I can’t do something and to be willing to share with others more often. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

RESPONSE: Instead of looking for excuses, look for things in your life that you can share with others how God helped and blessed you.