“But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’”
Luke 14:18–20 (NLT)
In Luke 14, Jesus exposes some of the excuses that keep people from Him: possessions (a field to inspect), work (oxen to test), and family (a new marriage). Even good things can become obstacles when they take His place.
Jesus makes it plain—discipleship costs everything (v. 33). If we hold back, we become like flavorless salt, good for nothing (v. 35). The poor, crippled, blind, and lame filled the table because they had no excuse. They needed Him. He was all they had—and that’s all that mattered.
So what’s my excuse? What’s yours? What competes for our focus, our affection, our time? These things may not need to be removed—but they must be reordered. Nothing can outrank Jesus in my life. I refuse to be lukewarm. I want to burn for Him—fully surrendered, no excuses.