- Morning Devotional
- April 28,
2005
"Excuses"
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But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. (Romans 1:18-22 NLT).
According to a UPI news item, the Metropolitan Insurance Company received some unusual explanations for accidents from its automobile policyholders. The following are just few:
§ An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished. § The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention. § I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident. § As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision. § I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment. § The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him. § The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end. § The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him. § The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
Guilt is hard to accept. In our reading this morning, the Apostle Paul is very clear that there can be no excuses when we face God regarding our disobedience. We have all failed to honor God. It is at this point that grace breaks in with the good news that we don’t need excuses. We simply need a Savior!
In the 14th century, Robert Bruce of Scotland was leading his men in a battle to gain independence from England. Near the end of the conflict, the English wanted to capture Bruce to keep him from the Scottish crown. So they put his own bloodhounds on his trail. When the bloodhounds got close, Bruce could hear their baying. His attendant said, "We are done for. They are on your trail, and they will reveal your hiding place." Bruce replied, "It's all right." Then he headed for a stream that flowed through the forest. He plunged in and waded upstream a short distance. When he came out on the other bank, he was in the depths of the forest. Within minutes, the hounds, tracing their master's steps, came to the bank. They went no farther. The English soldiers urged them on, but the trail was broken. The stream had carried the scent away. A short time later, the crown of Scotland rested on the head of Robert Bruce. The memory of our sins, prodded on by Satan, can be like those baying dogs--but a stream flows, red with the blood of God's own Son. By grace through faith we are safe. No sin-hound can touch us. The precious blood of Christ breaks the trail. "The purpose of the cross," someone observed, "is to repair the irreparable."
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