What Are Your Excuses?

There are lots of excuses for not living out your faith at work. How closely to your excuses match some historical reasons given by Bible characters?

Adam has the distinction of giving the first excuse in history--"the woman you gave me made me do it." Followed immediately by "the devil made me do it." (Gen. 3)

Saul told Samuel that he wasn't obeying God but that it was for a good cause (to worship the very God he was disobeying, 1 Sam. 15).

As a man was inviting guests to a great banquet, they were all too busy with other things (Luke 14).

The man with one talent was too afraid to do what his master wanted (Matt. 25).

And of course, the king of excuses would have to be Moses. While watching God's presence in the form of a bush bonfire, Moses had one excuse after another ("they won't believe me, I don't speak well, I just don't want to, etc., Exodus 3).

What's your excuse for not living out your faith at work?

That Doesn't Make Sense

When you compare what God says and what a lot of people in business say it takes to succeed, it doesn't always make sense to follow God at work.

Jesus said to love your enemies. God calls us to love the unloveable. As Christians, we should forgive even when others hurt us deeply.

How are you at obeying the tough things?

If you struggle, you're not alone. Saul was good at trying to follow God while balancing what made sense. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul was commanded to completely destroy the Amalekites. But that didn't really make sense to him. The sheep and cattle could be used to reward the troops. Keeping the king alive would give Saul a great trophy. Saul obeyed God as long as God's commands made sense to Saul.

Be careful at trying to use common sense to make decisions. Follow God, even when it doesn't fit with what others are telling you.