Making Excuses

"Produce fruit in keeping with REPENTANCE. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."

 Luke 3:8

 

How often do we make excuses? How often do you tell ourselves or others that although we know something to be right, we don't have to do it? Or that it's not for us? 

Nearly every day I seem to have this conversation with my children.  I'll tell one of them to complete their chore and they will come up with every excuse as to why they cannot. It's time for soccer. It's time to do homework.  It's bedtime. It's always something they perceive to be better than chores, although they'll eventually complain about those very things too. This doesn't just happen at home. As pastor's kids, they seem to adjust very well to using the excuse, "I'm the child of Pastor Sharon," when they are told to not be in a specific area or when they are asked to help with something.  Don't get me wrong. My kids are fantastic. We all get comfortable and want to avoid anything that incites change, that isn't what we want or that is just plain work.  We ALL make excuses.  It's nothing new, in fact, John the Baptist spends sometime addressing this very issue. 

This morning the text above came to my mind. Here's a fuller picture:  

"The word of God came to John in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.' John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."  (Luke 3:2-9) 

The Israelites were coming to John out of a sense of obligation. They were good at being religious and they were good at being children of Abraham; to the point that they used that reality as an excuse to keep from doing the things they were called to do.  They had a superiority complex. They were better than everyone else. They had what they believed was the right way.  They had acquired a power that was not theirs to have and their actions were not God honoring.  They were comfortable with saying "We are children of Abraham, we shouldn't have to. Repentance isn't for us. We haven't done anything wrong." 

The Israelites were coming for this baptism for all the wrong reasons.  John, in essence, tells them "No. Coming to this baptism is about the Kingdom. It's about repentance and fixing things. It's about reconciling - making straight paths and smoothing out what is rough. And you can no longer sit back on your rear-end and say 'I'm a child of Abraham. The promise is mine. I don't need repentance.' Jesus is bringing about a Kingdom and He will raise up repentant hearts that know the true heart of Abraham.  Not because of blood lines, but because they seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, producing fruit in keeping with repentance.  The rocks on the ground are more obedient than you." 

Ouch! John was bold, but he was bold because he knew something to be true.  We find the Kingdom of God through repentance and reconciliation. It is there in that work that God invites us to join Him.  Second Corinthians 5 says, "all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of RECONCILIATION." We are to repent, be reconciled to God, so that we can repent and be reconciled to one another. His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.