Do you love to make excuses? If yes, this message is for you. Read on to learn what the Prophet Jeremiah can teach us about making excuses and how we can better followers of God!

What’s your excuse?

When God calls you to do something, what are the reasons for you to delay, deny, and even avoid it?

When the Prophet Jeremiah was called to become a prophet, he made an excuse.

We read in Jeremiah 1:4-6:

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Then said I:
“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

We, humans, are fond of making excuses.

We make excuses in all areas of our lives, from avoiding extra work to skipping your time in the gym.

We use excuses to avoid something that we don’t like or the things we think that we are not able to do.

In short, excuses are convenient ways to avoid responsibilities and refrain from doing something we ought to be doing.

The problem with excuses is that they retard our physical and spiritual growth. They are convenient, but deadly.

Tweet

If you know the family background of Jeremiah and how life was in his time, you would probably understand why Jeremiah didn’t want to be a prophet.

During that time, Judah is in moral decay. Rather than take heed of God’s message of repentance, they would rather follow their own desires and even persecute the prophet who brings them a message.

Jeremiah was tasked by God to warn the people of the impending doom of Judah. Imagine, if God tells you to go to a wicked and violent nation, would you go? Not only that, but you will be bringing a message that they would surely hate!

For the young Jeremiah, he couldn’t imagine himself to do what is told to do.

Thus, he made an excuse:

I cannot speak for I am a youth.

In the same way, we also make a lot of excuses:

We are too young.

We are too old.

We are too poor.

We don’t have the skills and talent.

We don’t have time.

We don’t have the money.

And the list just goes on and on and on.

When God is calling, how do you respond?

How do you value the calling Yahweh, the great God and Supreme Ruler of the entire universe, has given you?

You might also want to read, “This is WHY You Should Answer God’s Calling Today.”

Today, God might not be calling us to be a prophet, but we are called to be part of Yahshua’s (Jesus Christ) Body of Believers and saints.

Most importantly, we are called to live a different life, a life that is not the same with how our classmates, neighbors, and other people who are outside of our faith.

We are to become a light to the world, a beacon of hope to those who are hopeless.

When God calls us, we must not make excuses, but rather, with all readiness, we must say, “Here I am.”

Why?

God gave us a promise – the same promise that he gave to Jeremiah. We read in Jeremiah 1:7-8:

But the LORD said to me:

“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’

For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD.

God was telling Jeremiah that he shouldn’t say he is a youth – that Jeremiah should stop making excuses!

In effect, God is telling us that whatever excuse we have, they are not good enough for us to avoid God’s calling.

Do you want to learn more about how to be a Christian? Read my eBook, The Power of His Word: How to Experience the Life-Changing Power of God and Become the Christian You Always Wanted to Be!

We must answer God’s calling because He will be with us.

God encouraged Jeremiah by saying:

Do not be afraid of their faces.

Are you afraid? Well, God says, don’t.

Why?

Because God will be with you and even deliver you from danger and all the things that might harm you.

Brethren, here’s the good news for all of us: the same promise is also extended to us.

God is with us.

He is with you.

He is with me.

Wherever you go, wherever God leads you to, He will be there for you.

The Apostle Paul, the man who constantly had near-death experiences confidently wrote:

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

Here’s a promise given to us by Yahshua (Jesus Christ) in Matthew 19:29:

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

If you lose something today, don’t be sad.

God promised you that he will restore what you have lost. Not only that, but He will restore it a hundredfold and give you the eternal life!

Thankfully, Jeremiah answered God’s calling.

Though he made an excuse, he eventually accepted God’s job for him. He went and proclaimed God’s message. He courageously walked the streets of Judah and showed them the way to life!

I hope the same thing can also be said to us, brethren. Though we have made excuses in the past, it is time to accept the will and purpose of our heavenly Father.

So, let me leave you with this question:

What’s your excuse?