Proverbs 22:13: Excuses Excuses!

"The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!'" Proverbs 22:13

Have you ever asked someone else to do something, and they gave you an absolutely wacky excuse so that they didn't have to do it? This is exactly what we find in our proverb above, and something that we ought to not find ourselves doing if we call ourselves followers of Christ.

So what exactly is going on in the proverb above? Well, we find a man named "sluggard," who is one of the great characters in proverbs that is meant to show us whEre the sin is in our own lives. In Proverbs, there are many characters, such as fool, scoffer, and adulterer. Today, we focus on the sluggard, which is a character who specializes in laziness. Simply put, the sluggard doesn't like to get work done. He would rather sit on the couch and watch Netflix than go to work. Sound familiar?

What we find from this simple proverb this morning is that too many times, we are the sluggards. How do I know this? Well, let me explain. Notice the character of the sluggard from this verse: he makes excuses. When confronted with a task to do, he proclaims that there is a "lion outside" and that he would be "killed in the streets," thus disabling him to do the task. What the writer of Proverbs is trying to get across here that those who are sluggards utter absolutely ridiculous excuses in order to get out of work, and we do the same.

One thing that I've found in life is that people always have excuses for why they aren't following God's commands. If you ever ask someone why they aren't reading their Bibles, going to church, loving their brother, or any other of God's commands, they are often ready to give an excuse for why they don't. But, what that does not mean is that those are always good excuses. What does this tell us? First and foremost that we still have a sluggish nature about ourselves, and secondly that we ought to disregard our sad excuses and get going with our spiritual disciplines.

So, what ought we to do in response to this devotional? Let me point out, dear reader, that there is no sufficient excuse for not following God's commands. If you think you have a good reason for not reading your Bible ever day, I promise you that you don't. If you think you have a valid excuse for not praying as much as you should, I promise you that you don't. So, in response to todays devotional, we all ought to examine our lives for sad excuses, and get rid of them! Stop fleeing from responsibility, and get to work. Stop making pitiful excuses, and do your job.